Sunset Huntress: A New Beginning
by Storm Starshine
Summary: Golden sunsets haunt my mind, Taunting me with fate denied. Another fate still waits for me, With promises of Harmony. My salvation from my past, A distant flame guides me till the last. (Rewrite of Sunset Huntress)
1. Prologue

_**Prologue: Sunset's Betrayal**_

"This is the biggest mistake you'll make in your entire life," The enraged mare snarled, as the guards led her away from her former mentor. Celestia muttered something, glancing at an old mural, but Sunset Shimmer didn't hear it. Or care. All she cared about right now was getting back at the princess she had looked up to, the mare that in her eyes had betrayed her.

She belonged here. She was smart enough, she was powerful enough, and that was how the world worked, didn't it? After all, Celestia was the only living pony strong enough to have achieved ascension, and she was Equestria's ruler. ...even if she had gotten 'soft'.

 _That's why this world needs a new ruler. Somepony who is still strong. That's what the mirror was showing me, and she knows it. She's afraid of me._ The sorceress mentally grumbled, fuming. She was not going to take this disgrace lying down. Lowering her head as if ashamed as she walked, so that her mane hid her horn from the view of the two guards flanking her, she waited until they passed as close as they would get to the mirror. All the while the most potent flare spell she knew built.

 _"Now,"_ There was the mirror. Her prize. Her escape. Closing her eyes and letting loose the flare the room flashed bright white. She didn't waste a second, shifting her weight to her front hooves and lashing out with her rear ones. The satisfying clang of brass horseshoes against golden helmets rang out, followed by two thuds.

"Amateurs," The grinning sorceress stated with a disappointed huff, before trotting casually over to the mirror and stepping through. After feeling the magic of the portal teleport her, she found that she was outside at night time.

"Well, this is an interesting development..." Sunset mused as she looked over her new form. She had known enough about the magic mirror to be aware the journey would change her, but not this much. Where once has been a lovingly groomed beautiful golden coat was now a hairless tan hide. She had a biped build that reminded her somewhat of a minotaur... or maybe a monkey? It was hard to tell. Her amber streaked red mane remained but seemed longer with more of it coming from the top of her head instead of her neck and back, but at least her ears and tail were still where they belonged. Strangest of all, she had manifested the oddest of attire.

The clothing resembled a dress in burgundy and amber with black accents. The top had long sleeves that expanded slightly, hanging loose around her forearms where black bracers. The material of the bracers was black and felt like the hide of some creature. It was the same material as her boots. The symbol for her cutiemark stenciled onto the full length side of the dress against an amber background, only, changed slightly. That parts that should be red were red, but the parts that should be gold were absent save for a red outline, as if somepony had tried to render it with only a single color.

" _Now, where in Equestria am I?_ " Sunset thought, as she looked around. The first thing she saw that she was outside of a huge building. "Wow, so the mirror took me to another world," Sunset said to herself in amazement. Another thing she noticed was the statue she came out of. " _So, this is where the portal of this world is located,_ " Sunset thought as she turned towards the nearby cliff. Looking out, she saw a city unlike any other she had seen before. "Now, let's see what this new world has to offer," Sunset said gleefully, smiling as she walked into the nearby forest.

 _Two Years Later..._

Sunset did the same thing she did when she was back in Equestria, she ran away. She was currently wearing a black cloak over clothes and was holding a backpack . " _Can't let them catch me, have to get away,_ " she thought desperately. Sunset heard footsteps behind her as she was running. She tried to think of a way to shake her assailants when she remembered something. " _Hope this works,_ " She thought as she focused her aura. The assailants were about to catch her when there was a flash of light and she suddenly disappeared.

Near one of the drainage pipes at the Vale beach, there was a flash of light and Sunset suddenly appeared. "Thank Celestia that worked," Sunset said to herself. Sunset was about to walk towards the town before she remembered the mask she was wearing. She quickly took it off and put in her bag. " _Well, now what am I going to do?_ " she thought somberly as she walked towards Vale. Looking around, she saw someone on the streets that looked familiar.

" _That woman, she wouldn't happen to be..._ " Sunset thought curiously. She quickly pulled out her Scroll and looked at a list of people she had on it. " _That's right, she's the assistant to the headmaster at Beacon,_ " Sunset thought, looking at the name. She quickly put away the Scroll and walked into a nearby alley.

Walking through the alley, she hear the woman talking to herself as she approached her. She wasn't able to hear much, but she did hear her talking about something involving Roman Torchwick. When she heard enough, she wrote a note and tossed it at her, ducking behind a nearby wall.

Glynda was, at the moment, thinking about what happened over the past semester at Beacon. "This year is looking to be an interesting one," she said to herself. Rubbing her head, she thought of two of the new teams this year. " _Teams JNPR and RWBY, those two are more interesting than I originally thought,_ " Glynda thought. While she did think about Team JNPR, she was more interested in Team RWBY. "That team, they're something else, being able to break up one of Roman Torchwick's operations," Glynda said in amazement.

She lost her train of thought when she felt something hit the side of her head. Looking down, she saw a crumpled up piece of paper on the ground. Picking it up and uncoupling it, she saw a note written inside of it.

 _"Go into the alley to your right, I have information on the White Fang."_

Turning to her right, she did indeed see a dark, empty alley. She was about to leave, when she saw someone enter the alley from the other side. Seeing an opportunity to get potential information, she cautiously entered the alley.

"Wow, didn't think you would actually come," the person said, a hint of amazement in her voice.

"You're the one who tossed me this note?" Glynda asked cautiously.

"Yes, that would be me," the woman said.

"Who are you?" Glynda questioned.

The woman was quiet for a moment, before responding, "Call me Flare."

"Very well, you said you had information on the White Fang?" Glynda questioned curiously, keeping a stern tone.

"I do, but I have one condition before I tell you," Flare told Glynda.

"What would that be?" Glynda questioned.

"I want to attend Beacon," Flare said simply.

Glynda was surprised at the condition. "Is that all?" Glynda inquired.

"That is all I ask," Flare stated. Glynda stayed silent as she thought about the answer.

"Very well, but you must come with me to Beacon," Glynda told Flare eventually.

"I have no objections," Flare told her.

"Then give me a few minutes do I can inform Headmaster Ozpin," Glynda said. Flare stayed silent as Glynda contacted Ozpin on her Scroll and explained the situation to him.

"I see, that is very interesting," Ozpin said after Glynda explained the situation.

"You're going to accept her?" Glynda asked curiously.

"I don't see why not," Ozpin told her.

"Well, what are you going to do with her?" Glynda asked, a hint of irritation in her voice.

"I'll take care of that, just get over here as soon as possible," Ozpin told her in a calm tone.

"Very well, we're on our way," Glynda said, cutting of the call. Sighing in annoyance, she turned back Flare. "Well, the meeting is set up," Glynda told Flare.

"Thank you, I really appreciate this," Flare told her.

"Come along Miss Flare, we need to get going," Glynda said in an annoyed tone.

"I do have something to tell you," Flare said.

"What is it?" Glynda asked annoyingly.

"It's about how I know the information I'm about to give you," Flare said stepping out of the alley. Glynda stayed silent as Flare exited the alley. "My true name is Sunset Shimmer, and I am a former White Fang member," "Flare" said.

Glynda was surprised at what Sunset told her. "So, you quit the White Fang?" Glynda asked curiously.

"I think it's better if you hear the full story when I explain it to you and Ozpin," Sunset told Glynda.

"Very well, let us be off in that case," Glynda said in a irritated tone. With that, the two of them went to Beacon.

Sunset was beyond nervous at the moment. " _I can't believe that I was able to do this,_ " Sunset thought as she sat outside Ozpin's office.

"Hey, you're the one Ozpin needed to talk to, right?" a voice asked in front of her. A little startled by the voice, she turned to see someone standing in front of her. The person in front of her was a female wearing a sky-blue shirt, a yellow hoodie, a gray skirt, a pair of black sneakers, and an arm band with a storm cloud on it.

"Yes, I would be the one that Ozpin wanted to speak with," Sunset told her.

"I imagine that your coming to apply to Beacon?" the girl asked.

"I am," Sunset responded.

"That nice, I was actually speaking with Ozpin a little while ago," the girl said, sitting down next to Sunset. "I hope you get accepted in that case," Sunset told her. The two sat in silence for a moment before Glynda came out of the office.

"Well, I need to meet with Ozpin," Sunset said as she got up. As Sunset walked past the girl she noticed that the girl was looking at her tail.

"You're a pony Faunus?" the girl asked curiously.

"Why do you ask?" Sunset questioned nervously.

"Interesting, what's your name?" the girl asked, ignoring Sunset's question.

"Sunset Shimmer," Sunset told the girl.

"The name is Storm, nice to meet you," she said extending her hand. Sunset shook Storm's hand and walked into the office.

When Sunset stepped into the office, she immediately felt tense again. "Hello, you must be the one that Glynda mentioned," Ozpin said.

"Yes, I would be," Sunset responded as she took a seat.

"Well, while I am interested in this information you have, I want to know why you want to join Beacon," Ozpin told Sunset. Sunset stayed silent as she thought about what to say. "Well?" Ozpin asked.

"I wanted to join Beacon, because I wanted to turn a new leaf on life and leave my time in the White Fang behind," Sunset explained.

"Is that the only reason?" Ozpin asked.

"No, but the other is kind of personal," Sunset admitted.

"That's fine, I just wanted to know a reason you wanted to join," Ozpin explained. The two sat in silence as Ozpin thought of something to say.

"May I explain a little of my past and my time in the White Fang?" Sunset asked awkwardly.

"Go right ahead," Ozpin told her.

"Well, about two years ago, I ran away from home. If you're wondering why I ran away, my family wasn't exactly the nicest one around. I was walking down the street when I noticed some White Fang members robbing a store. I had heard of the White Fang before and, while I wasn't exactly keen on what they were doing, I did look up to them in a sense. When I saw them leaving, I followed them back to their hideout. When I got there, I asked if I could join. At the time, it was the best course of action for me, as I ran away with no money and no plan. They accepted me and I worked with the White Fang."

"For the time I worked with them, it was pretty ok. I had someplace to live and people I could relate with. I didn't participate in much jobs with them, I was more a leader. As the first year ended, I was given an assignment to infiltrate a nearby Dust facility and collect some Dust. When I infiltrated the facility, I not only stole some Dust undetected, but I also stole some security codes for a weapon from Atlas. This not only surprised my superiors, but they promoted me to a commander. After that, things began to change for better and for worse."

"My position as commander was kept secret, they thought it would be better if the enemy didn't know who they were facing. About midway through my second year, my opinion of the White Fang began to change. My more peaceful side kicked in and basically told me to think about what I was doing. I did and, while I didn't tell anyone anything, I was keeping away from the White Fang. When I heard about a special item they were developing, that's when I had enough. Just this morning, I told my superiors that I was leaving to work on a plan. In actuality, I took that item and fled to Vale."

After finishing her explanation, Sunset waited for Ozpin to respond. "That's an interesting past," Ozpin commented calmly.

Sunset mentally breathed a sigh of relief, as she did lie in parts of her story. "May I ask what the item you stole was?" Ozpin inquired curiously.

Sunset, in response, showed Ozpin her left arm. On her arm, there was an odd-looking gauntlet with a sun symbol on it. "What is that?" Ozpin asked curiously.

"I call it the Solar Gauntlet, the reason why is because this didn't have a name as far as I know," Sunset explained.

Ozpin examined the gauntlet closer and saw a small, odd-looking terminal on it. "What is that terminal on the gauntlet?" Ozpin inquired.

"The terminal, as far as I know, is made to do multiple thing, but I don't know how to activate it," Sunset responded.

"I see," Ozpin said. The two then sat in silence for a while before Ozpin got up and went over to the door.

After a few seconds, Ozpin came back with Storm following him. Storm sat down in a chair next to Sunset. "I believe you two have meet each other briefly," Ozpin said. The two looked at each other for a moment then then looked back at Ozpin.

"Well, while I don't know the exactly what I'm going to do for you two team wise, the both of you are accepted into Beacon," Ozpin said, a hint of happiness in his voice. Sunset and Storm looked at each other and gave each other a high five.

"However, there is something I would like to ask Sunset," Ozpin said.

"What would that be?" Sunset asked.

"Well, I imagine you don't have somewhere to stay?" Ozpin inquired. Sunset stayed silent in response to the question. "I figured as much," Ozpin said sadly.

"I think I can see where this is going," Storm commented, a smile forming on her face. Sunset looked at Storm with a look of confusion on her face.

"You picked up what I was suggesting quickly, I'm impressed," Ozpin commented proudly.

"What are you two talking about?" Sunset asked curiously.

"Well, before you came in, I was meeting with Storm and she told me something you might like," Ozpin explained.

"You see, recently, my father gave me a house recently as a present," Storm told Sunset happily. Sunset let that information sink in and process it.

"What I'm asking is, do you want to stay with me during the break?" Storm asked politely.

Sunset looked to Ozpin, who gave her a comforting nod. "Sure, I don't really have any choice," Sunset said.

"I'm glad that issue is now settled," Ozpin said. Sunset and Storm looked at each other and smiled. "I believe that this meeting is over now, I will want see you two the day before classes start," Ozpin told the two. Sunset and Storm nodded in agreement. "You two are dismissed," Ozpin said.

After Sunset and Storm left Ozpin's office, the two started to talk. "So, your dad gave you a house?" Sunset asked curiously.

"That's right," Storm responded.

"You must have a good father," Sunset commented, a hint of sadness in her voice.

"You could say that," Storm said. The two walked in silence for a little bit as they exited Beacon. "I overheard your interview," Storm told Sunset, breaking the silence. Sunset looked at Storm and stayed silent. "I feel sorry for you," Storm said.

"I don't need your pity," Sunset said.

"I went through a similar situation myself," Storm said, ignoring Sunset's comment. Sunset stayed silent in response. "I just want you to know that if you ever feel nervous or have any doubts, come talk to me," Storm told Sunset in a sympathetic tone.

" _Doubts?_ " Sunset thought.

"After all, what are friend for," Storm said.

"You consider me a friend?" Sunset questioned.

"Of course," Storm said with a smile on her face.

As Sunset processed that information, she noticed a motorcycle on the side of the road. "I see you saw my motorcycle," Storm said.

"That's your motorcycle?" Sunset asked in amazement.

"Yes, it is, want a ride?" Storm replied as she got on it.

"Sure, I don't see why not," Sunset said, getting on behind Storm. Storm handed Sunset a helmet, which she put on. "You might want to hold on tight," Storm commented.

Sunset happily obliged, grabbing onto Storm's midsection. "You ready?" Storm asked. Sunset nodded quickly, mostly out of excitement. Storm started up the motorcycle, revved up the engine, and took off down the road.

After a few minutes of going on the road, the two arrived at Storm's house. When they got close, the garage door on the side opened and Storm pulled into the garage. "Wow, that was really exciting," Sunset commented as Storm turned off the motorcycle.

"I know, riding this thing is something that I always love to do," Storm agreed. Storm got off the motorcycle and walked towards the garage door, Sunset following her.

Opening the door, Storm and Sunset entered the house. Sunset was extremely surprised at how the house looked like on the inside. "This is the house that your father gave you?" Sunset asked in amazement.

"Yes, I think I can tell that you like it," Storm said in a teasing tone.

Sunset blushed out of embarrassment as she looked around the house. "This house is amazing," Sunset said. Storm simply smiled as Sunset looked on in amazement.

Eventually, Sunset let out a loud yawn. "Wow, must be more tired than I thought," Sunset said in an exhausted tone.

"Come on, sleepy sun, I'll show you your room so the sun can set," Storm joked, earning a light punch to the shoulder. Storm lead Sunset upstairs to the end of the hall. "Here is the room you'll be staying in," Storm told Sunset, opening the door to the room.

The room was about the size of a normal bedroom with a bed, a desk, a bookshelf with books, and a TV.

"Wow, this is nice," Sunset said. "Thanks, see you in the morning, goodnight," Storm said closing the door.

Sunset wan now left to her own thought and breathed a sigh of relief. She sat down on the bed, grabbed her backpack, and opened it. As she reached into the backpack, she couldn't help to look back at the gauntlet. " _I'm sorry Ozpin, but even you can't know what this gauntlet's true purpose is,_ " Sunset thought as she pulled out a small briefcase and a book from her backpack.

When she opened the briefcase, she saw five familiar items to her. One common trait the items had it that they were all shaped like eyes and had a button on their side.

The first eye was a color similar to the night sky and had the symbol of a half moon on top of it. The second eye was lavender in color and had a starburst symbol on top of it. The third eye was pink in color and had the symbol of a heart on top of it. The fourth eye was bright yellow in color and had a familiar looking sun symbol on top of it. The last eye was different in that it was completely red in color and had her cutie mark on top of it.

" _These Eyecons, why did that man give them to me?_ " Sunset thought, putting away the Eyecons. She thought back to the man that gave her the Eyecons in the first place. " _What did he mean when he said these items are not of these worlds?_ " Sunset thought. She then grabbed the book and put it on the desk. "I'll worry about that thing tomorrow, for now, I need to sleep," Sunset said to herself., climbing into bed. When her head hit the pillow, Sunset immediately fell asleep.


	2. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1: An Introduction to Vale & Talking with Storm**

The next day, Sunset woke up from her sleep and felt great " _I haven't slept that good in a long time,_ " Sunset thought happily. Getting up from the bed, she noticed that she left her journal on the desk. She slowly picked up the old journal and opened it. As she flipped through the pages, she saw several old messages that Celestia had sent her. " _Was it really worth coming to this world?_ " she thought to herself.

Sunset closed the journal and put it back in her bag when she heard a knock at her door. She walked to the door, opened it, and saw Storm outside.

"Morning, did you sleep well?" Storm asked Sunset.

"Yes, I actually did," Sunset said, a hint of joy in her voice.

"Come on, I made you breakfast," Storm told Sunset. The two went downstairs and sat at the dining table to eat.

"You know, I have actually never been to Vale before," Sunset told Storm as she was eating.

"Really? Then do you mind if I show you around the town?" Storm offered Sunset.

"I wouldn't mind that, this is basically my home now," Sunset responded.

"Great, then let me show you around after we finish eating," Storm told her. The two finished eating and after getting their things ready, they left to look around Vale.

* * *

After leaving the house, the two first went to the shopping district of Vale. "So, I'm going to guess this is Vale's shopping District?" Sunset inquired as they walked down the street.

"That's right, this place has a lot of different shops, so it can get really busy," Storm told Sunset.

"What kind of shops do they have here?" Sunset asked curiously.

"There are the shops that are pretty normal for an city in Remnant, like Dust Shops, food places and several convenient stores," Storm explained.

"Is there anything special that's around here?" Sunset questioned.

"There is a club that is run by someone named Junior, I don't remember the name of the club though," Storm told Sunset.

"Really, that's actually pretty interesting," Sunset admitted.

"Come on, I want to show you one of my favorite places to hang out," Storm said cheerfully. Storm grabbed Sunset's hand and dragged her to a nearby Dust store. When they entered, Sunset noticed that the store was bigger than any other Dust store she had been in.

"Wow, what is this place?" Sunset asked when they stopped.

"This is known as Dust Haven, it's Vale's main attraction," Storm explained. As Sunset looked around, she saw several aisles of Dust.

"What exactly does this place offer in terms of service?" Sunset questioned out of amazement.

"Well, not only does this place offer a wide variety of Dust and is two floors tall, it also has a weapon enhancement center, a cafe with indoor and outdoor seating, and a library on the second floor," Storm told Sunset with a large amount of joy in her voice.

As Sunset absorbed all that information, she saw two people walking towards them. Sunset was about to say something when Storm saw them and waved to them.

"Friends of yours?" Sunset asked.

"Not really friends, more accomplices than anything else," Storm explained to Sunset. As the two got closer, Sunset started to make more clear details about them.

They were two guys, both appearing to be human. The one on the left had a green hoodie, a pair of pants, some combat boots, and had a distinct flare to his style. "He looks kind of cute," Sunset thought, blushing a little bit. The one on the right had a cap on and was wearing a brown shirt, a pair of shorts, and some sneakers.

"Hey Storm, nice to see you again," the one on the right asked.

"Who's your new friend?" the one on the left.

"Oh, this is Sunset; she is living with me at the moment. Sunset, I would like you to meet Nova and Tri." Storm introduced.

"Nice to meet you, name's Stellar Nova, but I prefer Nova" the one on the left introduced.

"You can call me Trinity Nitro, but you can all me Nitro," the one on the right said.

"Well, nice to meet you both," Sunset said politely.

"What brings you two here?" Nova asked Storm.

"Well, I'm just showing Sunset here around town since she moved here," Storm explained to the two of them.

"I guess we should have expected that from you, you always trust someone even if they're a complete stranger," Tri said, rubbing the back of his head.

"You really trust complete strangers often?" Sunset asked Storm curiously.

"Hey, I only trust those who look good and dependable," Storm said.

"Still, you trust people who you've never meet before, that's going to get you in trouble eventually," Sunset told her. Nova and Nitro smiled at the fact that Sunset was telling Storm to be careful.

"I'll be careful," Storm said with an annoyed tone.

"Aw, Storm's being told off, isn't that cute?" Nova said in a playful tone.

"Quiet you," Storm told Nova, blushing a little bit.

"Anyway, why did you move to Vale Sunset?" Nitro asked curiously.

"I'm actually going to be going to Beacon," Sunset told them.

"Really? Me and Nitro are actually going there as well," Nova told them.

"You two are attending Beacon?" Storm asked out of surprise.

"We were going to tell you when we next saw you," Nitro said.

"Well, I got to show Sunset around Vale, see you guys later," Storm said, heading towards the exit.

"See you later, you two," Nitro and Nitro said. With that, Storm and Sunset left Dust Haven to go see the rest of Vale.

* * *

A few hours passed, and after they ate lunch, Sunset asked where they were going to stop next. "Well, why don't we go to the harbor?" Storm replied.

"This town has a harbor?" Sunset inquired.

"It does, it's where most of the goods from other of the continents arrive," Storm explained.

"Does it have a view of a harbor?" Sunset asked a hint of excitement in her voice.

"It does, why do you ask?" Storm responded.

"I actually like the water, it's calming to me," Sunset explained.

"You're in luck, there is a viewing platform that does overlook the harbor with a good view of a far mountain," Storm explained.

"Well, let's go," Sunset said, rushing off in a direction.

"Sunset, the harbor is the other way," Storm yelled at her. Sunset ran back to Storm and rubbed her head in embarrassment, before she followed Storm to the harbor.

After a few minutes of walking, they reached the harbor. The harbor itself was large with warehouses on one side and docks on the other. On the side that had the docks, there was a pathway that leads to a viewing platform. "Wow, didn't expect the harbor to be this good," Sunset commented.

"Well, this is the main trading hub of Vale, so it has to be big," Storm explained as they walked to the viewing platform.

"I notice that they have a lot of warehouses here," Sunset noted as she thought about the White Fang.

"If you're nervous about the White Fang, the police force has recently gone through and cleared out most of the White Fang that were stationed here," Storm assured Sunset.

"The police here must be good in that case," Sunset said.

"Oh I mispronounced what I said, they did clear them out, but that was after a group of Huntresses made the rest of them run away," Storm explained giggling a little.

"Wait, who lead this faction of the White Fang again?" Sunset asked curiously.

"If I remember right, it was a guy called Roman Torchwick," Storm said after thinking about it.

" _I swear, that man is as hopeless as always when it comes to leading the White Fang,_ " Sunset thought as she mentally sighed. As Sunset thought that, she also thought of a question she wanted to ask. "Hey, who was the group of Huntresses who stopped Torchwick?" Sunset asked curiously.

"It was one of the newer teams that started this year. I believe it their team name was RWBY," Storm told Sunset.

"A new team stopped the White Fang? I find that hard to believe," Sunset responded.

"I know it seems hard to believe, but I'm telling you it's the truth. Heck, since you're starting next semester, you could ask them yourself," Storm said.

"You know, you have a very good point," Sunset admitted as they arrived at the viewing platform.

When Sunset and Storm arrived at the platform, Sunset was amazed by the view. The view in question overlooked the bay of Vale with a mountain in the distance. "The view is amazing," Sunset said as she marveled at the view.

"I told you it was amazing, in fact, I have something even better to show you," Storm said as she closed her eyes. Sunset was about to ask what that thing was when she saw something forming over the water. There looked to be a ball of wind forming and started to come towards the platform.

"Is this what you wanted to show me?" Sunset asked.

"Yep, it's my Semblance," Storm told Sunset.

"Aeromancy, I've heard about it before, but I never thought I would see it myself," Sunset said.

"Is that what's it called?" Storm asked as dismissed the ball and manipulated small gusts of wind.

"You didn't know what it was called?" Sunset responded.

"Not in the slightest," Storm said.

"Do you want a little bit of explanation about your semblance?" Sunset offered.

"Sure, but what did you know about my Semblance?" Storm responded.

"Well, your semblance is one of the ten elemental Semblances, one for each element of Dust known to exist. Those elements are of Fire, Water, Electricity, Wind, Earth, Ice, Light, Shadow, Gravity, and Time," Sunset explained to Storm.

"Wait, how do you know so much about these types of Semblances?" Storm asked. Sunset said noting and snapped her fingers in response. To Storm's surprise, a small flame appeared on Sunset's thumb.

"I hold the Semblance of Pyromancy," Sunset said before blowing the flame out.

"So, you were born with yours?" Storm asked.

"In a sense, yes, but there is more I don't want to go into. What about yours?" Sunset responded, some bitter memories resurfacing.

"Well, to tell you the truth, I'm not sure. In fact, I don't remember much of my past at all," Storm said, a bit of sadness in her voice.

"Oh, I'm sorry, I didn't know," Sunset said, sitting next to her.

"Its fine, I wanted to tell you anyway," Storm told Sunset, hugging her knees.

"I know you may not want to remember, but what do you recall before coming to Vale?" Sunset asked.

"I don't recall much, but I feel like I faintly remember an attack by the White Fang somewhere, after that the next memory is that I'm in a hospital room in Vale," Storm explained as she recalled her past.

"Do you remember where the White Fang attacked?" Sunset asked curiously.

"Faintly, I recall a laboratory, several doctors or scientists of sorts, and an odd feeling of power near the lab," Storm described.

"What kind of power?" Sunset asked.

"I'm not sure how to describe it, but if there was one word that I can use, it's destructive," Storm described, gripping her legs in fear.

"In what way is it destructive?" Sunset asked cautiously, a hint of fear in her voice as she remembered part of her time in Remnant.

"It's the kind of destructive that is separated and you don't want to be released and reunited at any point. A better example, it's the kind of power that, if it were wielded by several Grimm, I know it would destroy humanity as we know it, without much trouble," Storm described in fear.

Sunset held her breath as she remembered that she did feel that same type of power before joining the White Fang. "Storm, do you mind if we go back to your house? There's something I need to tell you about," Sunset requested, a tone of fear in her voice.

"What is it?" Storm asked.

Sunset suddenly pulled her close and whispered in her ear, "It has to with that kind of power you felt."

Storm's eyes widened in surprise and she nodded in response. With that, the two of the headed out of the harbor area and back to Storm's house.

* * *

A few minutes of sprinting later, they arrived back at Storm's house and went inside. When they got inside, Storm immediately dragged Sunset to the living room so they could speak. Sunset sat in a chair in front of a table and Storm sat across from her. "What do you know about that power? Even though I don't remember it clearly, I know it's been a good 10 years since I felt it," Storm asked in a panicked tone.

"Well, it's not like it was recently, it was about two years ago when I felt it," Sunset explained.

"What exactly happened when you felt the power?" Storm asked as she breathed a sigh of relief.

"I can't remember much, but I do remember that it was before I joined the White Fang," Sunset explained.

"What happened that you felt that power?" Storm asked.

"Well, it caused my Aura to go out of control," Sunset explained. Storm stayed silent as she processed the information.

"That's all I want to know. I have more questions, but I don't think I can handle anymore," Storm said.

"Are you ok Storm?" Sunset asked, worried for her friend.

"I think I just need to turn in for the night," Storm said, getting up out of the chair.

"You need me to help you?" Sunset offered.

"I would appreciate it," Storm said. Sunset helped Storm to her room and helped her into bed. After wishing Storm goodnight, Sunset returned to her room. When she got to her room and looked in the mirror, she saw a familiar figure instead of her own reflection.

"It's you again, what do you want?" asked the figure. Sunset in response felt her entire body flare with pain, causing her to kneel on the floor. "So, you're still looking to take control. Hate to tell you, but that isn't happening any time soon," Sunset said as she reached over to the gauntlet. Before she could reach it, her arm had a huge spasm of pain, though she continued to reach through the pain. When she touched the gauntlet, the waves of pain stopped and she was able to stand.

The figure wasn't there when she looked back at the mirror, only her own reflection. Sweating and breathing heavily, she slowly walked over to her own bed and laid down " _Good to see that still works, but that does make me wonder. The last time I saw that thing was a good two weeks before I left the White Fang, so why did appear again now?_ " Sunset thought as she drifted off to sleep.

* * *

"So, she's still resisting," A voice in Sunset's mind said. The voice belonged to the figure Sunset saw in the mirror. "Well, if I could find a way to talk to her, maybe I could do something," the figure planned. The figure then proceeded to walk in Sunset's mindscape, as it thought of way to contact Sunset.


	3. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2: A Talk With Nitro**

Sunset was walking through a field that was a good distance away from Beacon. " _When I obtain more power, I'll show Celestia what it means to rule Equestria,_ " Sunset thought with a devious smirk on her face. It was the that she heard fighting in the distance through the trees. "Fighting, not something I heard often in Equestria, but this is a new world. Might as well see some of the inhabitants of this world," Sunset thought as she walked through the field towards the source of the fighting.

As she got closer, she heard the fighting grow closer and more ferocious. " _The sounds like animals fighting and whatever they are, I should probably be careful,_ " Sunset thought as she walked slower. She soon got close to the fighting and saw someone and a strange creature fighting. The person fighting the creature was a women in a red dress wielding what looked like to be dual swords. The creature was unlike any back on Equestria, it looked like a massive bear, but with a completely black coat of fur and an odd white mask.

Sunset hid in a bush nearby to watch what was going on. "What _is that creature? It is unlike anything I've ever seen before,_ " Sunset thought in amazement.

"This Grimm is harder than what they told me," the woman said as she combined the blades into a bow and shot arrows at the Grimm.

" _Grimm? So that's what those creatures are,_ " Sunset thought as she watched the battle.

The Grimm charged at the woman, who swiftly dodged out of the way. The woman then fired more arrows, only this time Sunset noticed that the arrows had something around them. Before they could reach the Grimm, it picked up a nearby tree and threw it at the arrows. The arrows then seemed to break apart and come back together, completely missing the tree. The continued and hit the Grimm on the side.

"Was that magic just now?" Sunset said to herself.

The woman dashed up to the Grimm and slid under it, firing arrows into its underside. The Grimm, still standing after all that, tried to bite the woman. In response, the woman threw a bottle in its mouth and ran. The Grimm's mouth then exploded into fire, causing the Grimm to slump over and die. To Sunset's surprise, the Grimm disintegrated instead of the body being left there.

"Well, that was an interesting experience," Sunset thought as she slowly left the area.

* * *

Sunset woke up and slowly got out of bed. "That memory again, it's been a while since I've had it," Sunset said silently to herself. She got up, showered brushed her teeth and got dressed. When she headed downstairs, she saw Storm sitting on the couch. "Morning Storm," Sunset called.

Storm turned around and saw Sunset walking to the living room. "Morning Sunset, how is going?" Storm asked as Sunset sat down.

"It's going good, I don't know what to do today though," Sunset told Storm as she thought about various things.

"Well, why don't you go out on the town by yourself?" Storm suggested.

"By myself, isn't that a little too risky?" Sunset asked in response.

"Admittedly, yes it is a little risky, but it's better than staying at home all day," Storm told Sunset. After thinking about it for a little, Sunset had reached a decision.

"Sure, I don't have anything else to do," Sunset said.

"Great, come on, let's get some food in you," Storm said. Storm headed into the kitchen and prepared some food for the two of them. "Oh, by the way, you have a Scroll?" Storm asked,

"I actually do, you want my number so we can communicate?" Sunset asked as she got out her Scroll.

"I would like that," Storm said. The two exchanged information and resumed eating breakfast. After finishing their food, Sunset told Storm goodbye and left to explore Vale.

* * *

" _Well, since Storm showed Dust Haven yesterday and I didn't see much of it yesterday, I might as well look around,_ " Sunset thought as she walked into the store. Since Storm only showed her the lobby of Dust Haven, she decided to walk around and look at the Dust they had on display. Before she walked off, she felt a chill run down her spine. Turning around to see who was behind her, she saw no one standing there.

" _What was that feeling?"_ she thought. She shrugged the feeling off and walked away, not noticing a girl in a purple jacket and a boy in gray shirt watching her from the second floor.

"So, she's the one I feel that power from. We should probably keep an eye on her," the girl said.

"As much as I find you irritating this is one thing I'll agree with you on," the boy told her.

"Even if you don't want to keep an eye on her, I see something in her that interests me," the girl explained.

"Jennifer, I don't know what you sense in this girl, she looks normal," the boy said, referring to the girl by her name.

"She may look normal, but so do I Chris," Jenifer said, showing him the scar on her left for arm. Chris said nothing in response. "Besides, there's another reason I want to watch over her," Jenifer said, her tone becoming more serious.

"What would that be?" Chris asked curiously.

"I can sense an Earthbound Ancient dwelling within her," Jenifer told Chris. Chris was surprised at what he heard. "And before you ask, I'm positive it's one of the Ancients. I would recognize that power from a mile away," Jenifer said, clenching her right fist.

"I believe you, but what do you mean by you can feel it dwelling inside her?" Chris asked. Jenifer said nothing and showed him a familiar item.

"She's like me," Jenifer told him. Chris was about to ask what he meant, but then he understood as the pieces clicked in his mind.

"Wait, so you mean that she's...! ?" Chris asked out of surprise, leaving the question hanging.

"She is," Jenifer said imply.

"Well then, I'll leave her up to you, good luck," Chris said as he walked away, leaving Jenifer alone.

"It might seem like I'm a little bit of a stalker, but what she doesn't see won't hurt her," Jenifer said as she walked towards the stairs.

* * *

"Wow, they have so many different types of Dust, it's not even funny," Sunset said as she walked through the aisles of Dust. She was so entranced by the Dust she accidentally bumped into someone. "Sorry," she said instinctively.

"Sunset, is that you?" a familiar voice asked. Sunset looked at who she bumped into and saw that it was Nitro.

"Oh, Nitro, what are you doing here?" Sunset asked.

"Well, I don't think I told you this yesterday, but I actually do work here?" Nitro explained.

"Really, you work in this huge store?" Sunset questioned out of disbelief.

"Not the store itself, I work at the cafe," Nitro explained.

"Really? Do you mind if we hang out in that case?" Sunset asked.

"Sure, it's my day off and I don't have anything better to do," Nitro told her.

"In that case, would you like to show me around the store? Storm only told me what this store holds and I want to see it for myself," Sunset told Nitro.

"Well, I would be happy to show you around," Nitro said.

"Thank you and you won't mind if I ask about some things that are related to Vale," Sunset asked.

"I don't mind at all, what were you curious about?" Nitro responded.

"Well, I was curious as to why this store has so many types of Dust," Sunset said.

"That's actually because a lot of different people come here, so we wanted to keep a good stock of Dust just in case," Nitro explained.

"Is that the only reason?" Sunset questioned curiously.

"Not exactly, you see, another reason we have so much Dust is because of the amount of Hunters and Huntresses that come here. Not only do we offer weapon fixes, but this place also has something unique," Nitro explained to Sunset.

"Really, well can we go to this place you're talking about?" Sunset asked Nitro.

"I was planning on it, follow me," Nitro said as he walked ahead of Sunset. Sunset walked after Nitro and followed him to the store he was talking about.

* * *

After a few minutes of walking, Nitro and Sunset arrived in front of an odd looking store. "What is this place Nitro?" Sunset asked.

"This is a place called The Haven Forgery. As for what it offers, well, com on inside and see," Nitro told Sunset. The two of them headed inside and Sunset was amazed by what she saw. The store held what looked like a forge for making weapons, an anvil for molding weapons along with various tools, and an enchanting area with Dust around it.

"Who, this place is amazing," Sunset said as he looked around the forge.

"I figured you would like it," Nitro said as he walked up to the counter. Behind the counter, there was a Faunus male who looked unlike anything Sunset had ever seen before, parts of his face being covered in scales, cleaning a pair of twin swords. "Hey Draco, how's it going?" Nitro asked the Faunus.

"Oh, hey Nitro, it's been a little slow, but I can live. What brings you here?" Draco told Nitro.

"Not much, just showing a new person in Vale the forge," Nitro explained.

"Really, may I meet this person?" Draco asked.

"Sure," Nitro said as he motioned for Sunset to come closer. Sunset slowly walked up to the counter.

"Hello there, name's Draco, I own and run this forge," he said, extending his hand.

"My name is Sunset, pleased to meet you Draco," Sunset said as he shook his hand.

"Nice to see someone new in town," Draco said calmly.

"Mind if I ask what this place is? I mean, I heard that this place is unique to Vale from Nitro, but what is it?" Sunset asked curiously.

"Well, this place, if you couldn't tell, is a forge. What makes this place special is that enchantment area over there," Draco told Sunset.

"An enchantment area? What is its function?" Sunset inquired.

"It's easier to show you rather than explain," Nitro told Sunset. Draco walked over to the enchanting station, which exposed his lower body which had been behind the counter. When Sunset saw Draco's lower body, she immediately noticed the dragon tail.

"Draco, if you don't mind me asked, what kind of Faunus are you?" Sunset asked in astonishment.

"I'm a rare breed of Faunus known as a Dragon Faunus," Draco said, a hint of intimidation in his voice. Sunset heart skipped a beat when she heard the word dragon.

"So, you're impressed I take it?" Nitro asked them.

"That's an understatement. I'll admit, I've never seen a Dragon Faunus before," Sunset said.

"Well, that's because very few of us actually leave our home continent the Dragon Isle," Draco explained.

"Dragon Isle, where is that?" Sunset asked curiously. It was at that point that Nitro pulled out his Scroll and showed Sunset a map of Remnant.

"The Dragon Isle is this landmass to the northwest of Vale," Nitro said as he pointed to the island shaped like a dragon. Sunset was amazed at the island. "Have you never noticed it before?" Nitro asked curiously.

"Now that I think about it, not at all," Sunset said as she thought back.

"That's actually normal response because of the fact that it is actually not that special," Draco explained.

"What do you mean by that?" Sunset asked.

"Well, I'll explain later, but for now, what do you say I show you the enchanting area," Draco said.

"That's fine," Sunset said.

Sunset walked towards the enchanting station and noticed a few things about it. The first was that it was split into two areas. One area held an anvil that was surrounded by various types of bottled up Dust. The other are looked like a spell circle with several Dust Crystals insider and around the circle.

"Impressed?" Draco asked simply.

"It's amazing, but what do you do here?" Sunset asked in amazement.

"Well, I won't go too much into the details, but what I can say is that the anvil is for infusing weapons with different types of Dust and the enchantment circle is used to connect a Hunter's or Huntress' Semblance to their weapon," Draco explained.

"So, say someone has a Semblance for illusions. You could enchant their weapon to make illusions?" Sunset asked.

"See that's the thing, only certain semblances are able to be attached to weapons. But, in your example, illusions would be one of the ones that will work," Draco explained.

"What is your weapon by the way?" Nitro asked Sunset. Sunset said nothing and took off her backpack. She unzipped it, reached inside, and got out a small emblem that had her cutie mark on it. Nitro looked confused, until the shield expanded in size and became a bow.

"Well, what do you think?" Sunset asked.

"That's your weapon?" Nitro asked simply. Sunset nodded in response and said nothing. "I like it, but does it become something else?" Nitro asked curiously.

"It can become a pair of dual blades and a sword & shield," Sunset explained. Nitro simply said nothing more, but Sunset noticed Draco looking at the weapon curiously. "You want to look at it?" Sunset asked Draco, handing him the weapon.

"Yes, and I want to ask something of you Sunset," Draco replied.

"What would that be?" Sunset inquired.

"Could I borrow this for a two days?" Draco asked.

"I don't mind, but why do you need my weapon?" Sunset asked.

"Well, it looks like it could use a tune up. Don't worry, we'll talk about payment later," Draco said.

"In that case, I actually don't mind," Sunset said. Sunset gave her weapon to Draco who took it behind the counter.

"Now, don't worry about you're weapon, I'll take care of it," Draco told Sunset.

"Ok, I'll trust you," Sunset said.

"Well, we got to get going, I'm going to show Sunset around the place a little more," Nitro said.

"Ok then, well, I'll see you two later," Draco said as the two of them left the forge. When the two of them were outside, Sunset noticed she was very tense.

"You were nervous?" Nitro asked as they stood outside.

"I guess I was," Sunset said.

"Well, that's how most people are after first meeting Draco," Nitro told Sunset.

"I don't see why that would be at all," Sunset said in a sarcastic tone.

"Well, maybe it's because of the Dragon part of his nature," Nitro said in a equally sarcastic tone. The two of them laughed at that.

"Anyway, where do you want to go next?" Nitro asked.

"Well, why don't we go to the place you work?" Sunset questioned.

"I don't see why not, come on," Nitro said as he walked towards the stairs. Sunset started to follow him when she felt a sense of death wash over her. She quickly turned around and looked around cautiously.

" _What was that? It felt different than the one I felt at the entrance,_ " Sunset thought as she cautiously rushed to follow Nitro. If she had looked up, she would have noticed an ever so familiar figure on the edge of next floor.

"So, that's what is going on, this is going to be interesting," the figure said before disappearing into thin air.

* * *

After getting to Nitro's work, which was called the Dust Cafe, Sunset sat at a table and waited for Nitro to bring some drinks. While she waited, Sunset thought about the feelings she had at the mall. " _What were those feelings? I've never felt anything like them before, even when I was in Equestria,_ " Sunset thought as she recalled when she got the feelings.

" _The first one I felt was shortly after I entered the mall. That one didn't feel too weird, just like a feeling that someone is watching me. The second one that I felt after leaving the Haven Forgery is the one that I'm interested in. It felt like there was death right next to me, touching me. It seems weird, but I feel like I've felt that before._ "

Her train of thought was broken when she heard the chair in front of her. She looked up and saw Nitro place her drink in front of her. "I didn't know what you wanted, so I got you my favorite drink," Nitro told her.

"What is it?" Sunset asked curiously as she picked up her drink.

"It's a coffee with a special blend that I'm not allowed to say what it is," Nitro said as Sunset took a sip of her drink. Sunset's reaction to the taste was what Nitro had expected. "Is it good?" he asked, a smile forming on his face. In response, Sunset simply sipped the drink again.

"It's very good," Sunset said simply.

"I knew you would like it," Nitro said as he smiled.

"You know, that reminds me, how exactly did you come to live in Vale?" Sunset asked.

"Well, it's a bit of a complicated story, so do you mind listening to me ramble?" Nitro asked.

"Not at all," Sunset said as she took another sip of her drink.

"Well, before I came to Vale, I was originally from the city from Haven. I wasn't anything special, I worked at a coffee shop like this one. About two years ago, I was asked by a friend of mine to move to Vale in order to help with some things. My family did disagree with me wanting to go, but I left anyway. Before I left, I wanted to make amends with my aunt. At the time she was married and had two kids."

"The night I went to visit her however, I found out that something happened. When I got to their home, I saw that it was wrecked on the inside. After some searching, I found a hidden room with my aunt's kids in there. They were crying and looked like they were rushed in there. They told me that something come in and started wrecking their house. My sister and her husband put them in the room and told them not to come out. After looking for them, I found that they were killed."

"I don't know all the details on how they died, but I do know that an odd Grimm attacked the house. Her kids were going to go to the orphanage, but I asked if I could take them with me to Vale. They did agree to that and we set out to Haven after my aunt's funeral. After a few days of travel, we arrived in Vale and I almost immediately went to my friend's house. I explained the situation to her and asked if she could take care of my aunt's kids. She agreed and also asked if I could live with her. Since I didn't have anywhere else to go, I ended up agreeing."

After Nitro finished telling his story, he stayed silent and waited for Sunset's reaction. "Wow, I feel sorry for you," Sunset said eventually.

"I appreciate the support Sunset, it means a lot to me," Nitro said. The two stayed quiet as they finished her drinks. "So, do you have a crush on Nova?" Nitro asked as Sunset was finishing her drink. This caused Sunset to nearly spit out her drink.

"Wait, you could tell?" Sunset asked as she breathed in and out.

"No, but you're reaction told me all I need to know," Nitro said. Sunset then immediately covered her face out of embarrassment.

"I can't believe you did that," Sunset said.

"Hey, can't friends play jokes on each other?" Nitro asked.

"You have a point there," Sunset said.

"But seriously, do you actually have a crush on him?" Nitro asked in a friendly tone.

"In all honesty, I do have a bit of a crush on him," Sunset said as she turned away and blushed out of embarrassment.

"I figured because of the way you looked at him," Nitro told her.

"So, can I ask you a favor regarding Nova?" Sunset questioned.

"Yes, I'll put in a good word for you," Nitro said without Sunset having asked what she wanted.

"How did you know?" Sunset asked.

"Well, it's one of the advantages of my semblance," Nitro told her in a whisper. It was at that point that Sunset became very interested.

"What exactly is you're semblance?" Sunset asked.

"Well, it's a unique one, I'll say that much," Nitro said.

"What is it?" Sunset asked.

"Well, I'm not able to show you today, but maybe at a later date," Nitro told her.

"That's fair," Sunset said.

"Hey, now that I think about it, Nova does work today," Nitro said.

"Really?" Sunset asked.

"Well, I might be able to tell him that a girl I met wants to date him," Nitro said as he got out his Scroll.

"I wouldn't mind that and that actually reminds me, do you mind if I get you number?" Sunset asked as she got her Scroll out.

"Sure," Nitro said. The two of them exchanged numbers and Sunset put her Scroll away.

"So, I'll see you later in that case?" Sunset asked.

"I think that is the case," Nitro said. Sunset said goodbye to Nitro and left the coffee shop.

" _I can't believe that I'm going to talk to Nova,_ " Sunset thought as she blushed slightly out of embarrassment. As she left the coffee shop, she ran into a girl that was standing outside.

"Oh, sorry about that," Sunset said.

"Its fine, you looked distracted, so I don't blame you," the girl said.

"I guess I was," Sunset told herself.

"Where were you going, by the way?" the girl asked. It was at that moment that Sunset realized she didn't know where she was going.

"I don't exactly know, but maybe you could help me," Sunset said as she rubbed the back of her head in embarrassment.

"Sure, where or who are you looking for?" the girl asked.

"I'm looking for a man named Nova, I know he works here, but I don't know where," Sunset explained.

"Oh, I know Nova, he's working right now, but I don't think he minds seeing a friend of his," the girl said.

"Could you take me to where he works?" Sunset asked, a hint of excitement in her voice.

"Sure, just follow me," the girl told Sunset.

"Thank you so much, Miss…?" Sunset said.

"Jenifer, Jenifer Natsuki," the girl said.

"Name's Sunset Shimmer, Sunset told Jenifer. With that, the two went towards Nova's work.


	4. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3: Hanging Out With Nova**

After walking for a few minutes, Jenifer and Sunset arrived in front of the store where Nova worked. "So this is where Nova works?" Sunset asked as she looked at the store.

"It is," Jenifer said simply. Sunset read the sign and saw it said, "The Bright Card Shop", which made Sunset cringe at how unoriginal that sounded. "Yeah, it's a bad name," Jenifer said simply.

"Why did he choose to work here?" Sunset asked.

"I don't know, I've spoken with Nova before, but he hasn't said anything about his past," Jenifer said.

"Well, thank you for taking me here, I really appreciate it," Sunset said to Jenifer.

"Don't mention it, it's just that you seemed like you wanted to talk to Nova," Jenifer said. Before either of them could say anything, Nova came walking out of the store.

"Oh, Sunset, Jenifer, what are you two doing here?" Nova asked.

"Well, I came to talk to you about something," Sunset said.

"Really, what is it?" Nova questioned.

"It's something that I would like to talk to you in private," Sunset said nervously.

"Oh, well then let's go somewhere you feel comfortable," Nova said. The two started to walk away when Sunset remembered Jenifer.

"Hey Jenifer, you want to come with?" Sunset asked.

"Isn't this conversation you want with him private?" Jenifer responded.

"It is, but you seem like you have nothing to do," Sunset said. Jenifer stayed quiet and thought about that.

"Sure, I guess I'll come with you," Jenifer said. With that, the three of them left to another part of the mall.

* * *

After looking for a good place, Sunset, Jenifer, and Nova found a relatively quiet restaurant to eat and talk. "So how do you two know each other?" Sunset asked Nova and Jenifer while they waited for their food.

"Well, it's a bit of a long story, but let's just say that we went on a mission together and have been friends ever since," Jenifer told Sunset.

"Yes, we had a few missions like that if I recall correctly," Nova commented.

"By the way, this may seem like an odd question, but are you two dating in anyway?" Sunset asked curiously. Jenifer and Nova looked at each other and started to laugh quietly.

"You think the two of us are dating?" Jenifer responded.

"No, I just assumed from what you were telling me and what I saw," Sunset said as she blushed out of embarrassment.

"Ok, that's fair, but the two of us aren't dating, Nova said.

"Really? You two seem like you would work well together," Sunset said.

"Well, while I will admit that we have good chemistry together, we are just friends and nothing closer," Jenifer said.

"Even if we wanted to date, I can admit that while we do have good chemistry when it comes to missions, we don't connect with each other at all," Nova continued.

"Wow, that's not what I was expecting," Sunset said as their food arrived. The three of them at their food quietly as Sunset thought about what to say next.

"So Sunset, why did you ask if Nova and I were dating?" Jenifer asked. This caused Sunset to become a little nervous.

"Um, because you two looked like a good couple?" Sunset said nervously.

"Sunset, out of curiosity, do you have a crush on me?" Nova asked in a calming tone.

"A little bit," Sunset admitted, a little bit of defeat in her voice.

"That explains a lot," Jenifer said.

"Sunset, can I admit that I actually wanted to tell you something as well?" Nova said.

"What is it?" Sunset asked.

"Well, I have to admit, I also have a bit of a crush on you as well," Nova said as he blushed slightly.

"Wait, you do?" Sunset asked.

"I do, ever since I met you actually," Nova said.

"Well, out of curiosity, why did you two have a crush on someone you just met?" Jenifer asked the two of them. The two opened their mouths to respond and quickly closed them at the same time.

"Well, for me, I had a crush on him because he looked cute and like someone I could talk with easily," Sunset said.

"For me, it's mostly the same, but I was also attracted to Sunset because of the mystery around you," Nova said.

"What do you mean by that Nova?" Sunset asked.

"Well, I think telling you in a place more romantic would be better," Nova said as he called for a waiter.

"Well, where do you have in mind in that case?" Sunset asked.

"I prefer to keep it a secret until we get there," Nova said. After they paid for their food, the three of them left the restaurant and went to the place where Nova was talking about. About halfway to their destination, Sunset noticed that Jenifer looked a little uncomfortable.

"Are you ok Jenifer?" Sunset asked.

"I am, it's just that I feel a little uncomfortable going with you two," Jenifer said.

"You don't want to bother us do you?" Nova asked.

"It's something like that," Jenifer said.

"Then what are you going to do?" Sunset asked.

"I was actually going to meet one of my teammates here, I just needed to do something to kill the time," Jenifer said.

"Oh, then you better meet up with them, don't want to keep one of the lucky guys waiting," Nova said, patting Jenifer on the back.

"Quiet Nova!" Jenifer said as a blush formed on her face. Sunset laughed at that, earning a light punch on the shoulder from Jenifer.

"Anyway, see you later Jen," Nova said as he walked ahead.

"I told you not to call me that!" Jenifer exclaimed, the blush on her face becoming more profuse.

"Later Jenifer, I hope to see you at Beacon," Sunset said as she ran to catch up with Nova. Jenifer waved goodbye to the two and turned around to head the other way. As she was walking, she was silently joined by Chris.

"How much did you hear?" Jenifer asked.

"How do you always sense when someone is there when they don't make a sound?" Chris asked in an annoyed tone.

"I've been killed numerous times, so I happen to know when someone is sneaking up on me," Jenifer replied.

"Good point," Chris said.

"You still haven't answered my question," Jenifer said.

"I've been following you since you meet with Nova," Chris said.

"Why?" Jenifer asked simply.

"Well, I wanted to be sure you were alright," Chris said.

"Oh, worried for me are you?" Jenifer asked in response.

"No, I was just looking out for my teammate, that's all," Chris said.

"Anyway, you think we'll see Sunset at Beacon this semester?" Jenifer asked.

"I do and somehow I think our lives are going to get weirder," Chris said.

"Would like to explain to me what you're talking about while we go meet up with the others?" Jenifer asked. Chris started to explain as they walked to the place they wanted to meet at.

* * *

Back with Nova and Sunset, they continued to head to their destination. "So, where are we going?" Sunset asked curiously.

"Well, the place we're going is supposed to be a romantic place, but I've never been there myself," Nova said.

"So you're taking me to a place you have heard is romantic, but you have never been there yourself," Sunset asked.

"That's basically what I'm doing," Nova responded in a calm tone.

"I'm not sure if you're being serious or being a creep," Sunset said playfully. Nova laughed a little at that as the two arrived at their destination. As she looked around, Sunset was amazed by what she saw. The area was a large balcony that had several rows of flowers, several benches, and a view of the city of Vale.

"What do you think?" Nova asked.

"It looks very beautiful, you picked a really good place," Sunset said in response.

"Thank you and I picked a good time because people rarely come up her during lunch," Nova explained.

"Wow, you did think ahead Nova, I'm impressed," Sunset complimented.

"Thank you," Nova said as he moved to the far railing. Sunset followed him and marveled at the flowers as she walked by. "I'm going to guess you like flowers?" Nova asked.

"I do, and seeing these makes me think of a better time of my life," Sunset said as she thought of Equestria.

"What was your past like?" Nova asked. It was at that point that Sunset got a little nervous. "Is it something personal?" Nova interpreted.

"It is, but I feel like just telling someone that I can trust about it," Sunset admitted.

"While I would say you could trust me, and you can, I think you should wait until you find someone you truly feel comfortable around," Nova suggested. Sunset thought about that advice and took it to heart.

"You know, that advice seems so perfect for this situation," Sunset said as she leaned up against the railing and looked over the city.

"You're welcome, in that case," Nova said as he leaned beside her. The two stayed silent as they looked at the city.

"Hey Nova, what was your past like?" Sunset asked.

"Oh, you want to hear about it?" Nova responded.

"Of course," Sunset said.

"Well, to tell the truth, would you mind if we sit down for this?" Nova asked in a nervous tone.

"Sure," Sunset said. The two walked over to a nearby bench and sat down on it. "So, is there any particular reason you wanted to sit down for this story?" Sunset asked.

"Well, to be honest, it's because I may cry after I finish," Nova admitted.

"I'm going to guess that you have a tragic past?" Sunset asked.

"I do, and while I may not like to remember it, I'll tell you about it," Nova said.

"Wait, why don't you tell me about what made you come to Vale?" Sunset offered, a hint of sympathy in her voice.

"Honestly, that seems like the better idea," Nova said, a large amount of relief in his voice.

"So, what exactly did cause you to come to Vale?" Sunset asked.

"Well, after an event I do not like to think about, I was homeless. I was without a home, with only a little money to help me get by. I managed to work some odd jobs in my hometown and got enough Lin to come to Vale. When I got here, I immediately started looking for a place to stay and a place to work. That was about two years ago and so far, I only have a place to work. Thankfully, I was able to apply at Beacon and got accepted."

After Nova finished his story, Sunset gave him a hug. "Thank you, I appreciate the sentiment," Nova said.

"So, you need a home to call your own?" Sunset asked.

"Not necessarily, I don't mind living with someone else. Before you ask, I have asked Storm about living with her and she didn't mind, but I did not want to bother her," Nova said.

"Oh, well I wish I could offer something, but I don't know anyone with a house of their own," Sunset said.

"Its fine, I'll figure something out eventually," Nova said. The two sat in silence for about two minutes and took in the beautiful weather.

"Hey Nova, I know it may seem like an odd thing to ask, but what is your Semblance?" Sunset asked.

"You're right, that is a weird question, but I don't mind answering," Nova said as he got up from the bench. Nova put his hand out in front of him and seemed to do something to the air in front of him.

"What are you doing?" Sunset asked. In response, Nova showed Sunset a ball of light was in his hand. "Whoa," Sunset said out of amazement.

"This is my semblance, it's one of the ten elemental semblances," Nova said. Sunset was surprised by that and used her semblance to make a ball of fire. "So you have on as well," Nova said.

"Yep, I call mine Pyromancy, what about yours?" Sunset said.

"I call it Photokinesis," Nova said as he tossed the ball of light into the air.

"You got that name form the internet, didn't you?" Sunset asked playfully as she dismissed the ball of fire.

"Yes, I did, but you try to come up with a better name," Nova said as the ball of light dispersed. Sunset thought about it for a little and just decided to leave the name as is.

"You know what, I see your point," Sunset said, earning a chuckle out of Nova. It was at that point that Sunset decided that she really did like Nova. "Hey Nova, I want to tell you something," Sunset said.

"What is it Sunset?" Nova asked.

"Well, I just wanted to say that I really am enjoying this time with you," Sunset said as a slight blush formed on her cheek. This statement made Nova also have a blush on his face.

"You know, I feel the exact same way," Nova said. The two then had a moment of awkward silence.

"Hey, you want to friends for now?" Sunset asked nervously.

"That would be nice," Nova said.

"Friends, for now at least?" Sunset said as she extender her hand.

"Agreed," Nova said as he shook Sunset's hand. After that, the two spent a few more moments together before more people started to come. "Come on, let me take you to storms house," Nova said.

"I don't mind," Sunset said. With that, the two of them headed to Storm's house.

* * *

After a few minutes of walking, Sunset and Nova were near Storm's house. "Well, we are here," Nova said.

"Looks like Storm is out," Sunset said as she noted the lights were off.

"Do you have a key to the house?" Nova asked with a hint of protection in his voice.

"Of course I do," Sunset said as she got out a pair of keys. As they approached the door, Sunset noticed that Nova looked a little nervous.

"You ok?" Sunset asked.

"I am, I'm just happy to have a girl I like as a friend," Nova said as he blushed.

"Aw, that's sweet of you to say," Sunset said as she started to blush.

"Anyway, I hope to be on a team with you at Beacon," Nova said. As she opened her door, Sunset thought of a good idea.

"Hey Nova, I do have something to give you," Sunset said as a small smile formed on her face.

"What is it?" Nova asked curiously. Sunset then gave him a quick kiss on the lips.

"See you Nova," Sunset said as she went inside and closed the door behind her. Outside the house, Nova was blushing profusely as he processed what happened. He then silently left with a smile on his face. As he left, he saw Shade coming up the walkway.

"Hey Nova, what are doing here?" Shade asked.

"I was just leaving Sunset off," Nova said in a sort of dazed voice.

"I think I can tell you two had a good time together," Shade said.

"We did," Nova said as he walked away. Shade had a curiosity of what they did and went to asked Sunset about what they did before they went to this.

* * *

That night, Sunset and Shade were sitting in the talking about what happened to each of them during their day. "So I ran into Nova when I came back," Shade said eventually.

"Really, did he say anything?" Sunset asked.

"He just said he came to leave you and that you two had a good time," Shade said.

"He did, and I'm going to guess you want to know what happened between the two of us," Sunset responded.

"I do because I think you and Nova have a bit of a crush on each other," Shade said playfully.

"What? I don't know what you're talking about," Sunset said as she tried to dodge the question.

"Well, your reaction tells me other wise and I saw you get a little flustered when you first saw him," Shade said. Sunset stayed silent for a moment before she sighed.

"Ok, I'll tell you everything," Sunset said. Sunset then proceeded to tell the events of what happened with Nova from the beginning to the end. "So, what do you think?" Sunset asked.

"I'm very happy that both you and Nova are in a sort of a relationship," Shade said.

"Thanks," Sunset said.

"By the way, why did you just want to be friends?" Shade asked.

"Well, I figure if we got to know each other more, we would have more of an appreciation for each other," Sunset explained.

"That makes sense," Shade said as she yawned.

"You tired?" Sunset asked.

"I had a rough day today," Shade said.

"Well, then you can go to sleep," Sunset said.

"Ok, see you in the morning," Shade said as he got up. After Shade went upstairs, Sunset breathed a sigh of relief as she entered a code on her gauntlet. She rarely took the gauntlet off as it helped her suppress something inside her, but she did take it off when she could suppress it. " _I'm glad Shade went upstairs to sleep. I know she's my friend, but this is something she can't see,_ " Sunset thought as she took off her gauntlet. As soon as she took it off, she felt a large surge of pain flow throughout her that came from her arm. After a few seconds, the pain stopped and Sunset sat their panting.

"Well, good to see that never changes," Sunset said between breaths as she looked at her scared arm. After making sure that everything was ok, she put her gauntlet back on and went to bed.


	5. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4: A Meeting of Fate**

Sunset was a little curious as she walked to Dust Haven. " _I'm curious about who Ozpin wants me to meet,_ " Sunset thought as she entered the mall. Sunset went to the place where Ozpin told her to wait and thought about her day.

" _For today to be boring would be an understatement, first off I felt an odd feeling when me and Storm walked by a house. At first I thought it was Phaze, but I realized that this feeling was something that was calling me. I then receive a call from Ozpin that he had set a meeting with a student by the name of Tempest. I don't know what he had planned, but I accepted and now I'm here._ "

It was after Sunset finished that thought that she felt a familiar feeling. " _This feeling, it's the same one from this morning,_ " Sunset thought. As she walked towards the source, she felt both something calling her and something comforting her. "What is this feeling? It's different from the one I felt this morning," Sunset said to herself. As she was paying attention to the feeling, she didn't notice anything around her. This resulted in her bumping into someone and the feeling going away.

"Sorry, I really should have paid attention to where I was going. Are you Ok?" the person she bumped into said in an apologetic tone.

"I'm fine, and I'm also guilty of the same thing" Sunset said as she looked at the person she bumped into. The person in question looked to be a girl around her age wearing a cyan jacket, a dark blue shirt, blue jeans, and an odd bracelet on her left arm.

"Sorry about that, I was just in a hurry to meet someone, but I don't know who they are," the girl said.

"Huh, I was going to do the same thing," Sunset said. The two stood there for a moment before turning to each other.

"Are you the one Ozpin told me to meet?" The two asked simultaneously. Both Sunset and the girl giggled at that perfect timing of the question.

"Wow, what are the chances that we would happen to meet each other by bumping into each other?" the girl asked.

"Just trust me when I say stuff like this happens to me a lot. Anyway, you must be Tempest, the one Ozpin told me about," Sunset told Tempest.

"That would be me. You must be Sunset Shimmer," Tempest said with a smile on her face.

"That's me, it's nice to meet you," Sunset said as she extended her hand. Tempest shook Sunset's hand and the two somehow seemed calm. The two stayed silent as they realized that they didn't have anything to do.

"You want to go do something?" Tempest asked.

"That would be a good idea," Sunset said. With that, Sunset and Tempest went to find a place where they could talk.

* * *

After some walking around, the two eventually ended up where Sunset talked with Nova. "Wow, this place is very nice," Tempest said as she marveled at the view.

"I figured that you would like it," Sunset told her.

"I do like it, but why bring me up here?" Tempest asked curiously.

"Well, at this time of the day, there is not many people here, so we can talk in peace," Sunset explained.

"That is a good idea," Tempest said as she sat down on one of the benches. Sunset sat down next to Tempest and asked the obvious question that was on both their minds.

"So, did Ozpin say why he wanted to two of us to meet?" Sunset questioned.

"Well, I guess he wanted us to meet and get to know each other for some reason," Tempest suggested.

"You know, I'm just going to stop wondering about it because I don't want to think about it anymore," Sunset commented.

"I agree with you," Tempest commented as she smelled the flowers on the balcony.

"So, where do you live?" Sunset asked.

"Out of curiosity, why are you asking me about that?" Tempest responded.

"Well, since we are here, we might as well get to know each other," Sunset explained.

"That's a very good point. Anyway to answer your question, I was living in an apartment in Vale for a few years, but about a week ago, my father gave me a house and I've been living in it for the past week." Tempest told Sunset.

"Wait, your dad bought you a house?" Sunset asked out of surprise.

"That is correct," Tempest responded.

"Ok, so this is a question that I have. Are you and your family rich?" Sunset asked curiously.

"Well, I am from a wealthy family, but I rely on myself to make money for myself," Tempest explained.

"That seems odd, but I can see why you would do that. I have no family myself and I've had to support myself for a while," Sunset told Tempest, think about her family in Equestria.

"Well if you don't have any family, where do you live?" Tempest asked in a caring tone. Sunset was about to answer when she realized what Tempest asked.

"Aren't you curious as to why I don't have any family?" Sunset responded. Tempest stayed quiet and got up off the bench. "Are you ok?" Sunset asked as Tempest walked to the guardrails.

"I'm fine, it's just complicated for me to answer that question," Tempest told Sunset as she leaned on the guardrails.

"You had trouble to some trouble with family?" Sunset asked as she leaned beside Tempest.

"It's something I don't like talking about," Tempest told Sunset. Sunset stayed quiet and thought about her life at that moment.

"Well, I guess I have no choice," Sunset thought somberly. "What about if I tell you about a time in my life? A time that I wasn't at my best," Sunset asked as she looked around.

"What could you possibly have that I would tell you about my family, which I am really private about?" Tempest responded to Sunset.

"Well, I could tell you about my time as a high ranking commander in the White Fang," Sunset whispered nervously. Tempest thought about that offer and then jolted up remembered something from her past.

" _Wait, she couldn't possibly be her, could she?_ " Tempest thought.

"Is something wrong?" Sunset asked.

"Nothing is wrong, but I will take you up on that offer," Tempest said.

"That's great, but do you mind if I tell you at another place?" Sunset told her.

"You know, that seems like a good idea," Tempest said.

"So, where do you think is a good place?" Sunset asked. Tempest thought about that for a few seconds before deciding on a place.

"My house would be good," Tempest said.

"That sounds good, but do you mind if I go pick up my weapon first?" Sunset asked.

"Sure, I'll wait for you at the outside of the mall," Tempest said.

"How will I know how to find you?" Sunset inquired.

"Trust me, I'll be easy to find," Tempest said smiling. Sunset decided not to question Tempest any further and just nodded in response. After that exchange, Sunset left to go get her weapon while Tempest went to wait for Sunset.

* * *

After Sunset left the balcony, she headed for The Haves Forgery to see if Draco was done with her weapon. " _I'm not sure if I can trust Tempest, but I have a feeling that making her my friend will be a good idea,_ " Sunset thought as she walked toward the store. As she was on her way, she noticed Draco waving to her.

"Hey Sunset," Draco said as she approached her.

"Hey Draco, what are doing here?" Sunset asked curiously.

"Well, I was looking for you, here," Draco said as he handed her a container.

"It's done!?" Sunset said as she put container on her hip.

"Yes, and don't worry about my payment, it's free of charge," Draco said.

"Really, wow that's really generous of you," Sunset said.

"Don't mention it, I'm just repaying a favor to an old friend," Draco told her.

"Well, thank you, see you later," Sunset said as she hurried to the stairs, waving goodbye to Draco. After Sunset ran down the stairs, she hurried to the entrance when she passed by a familiar face who didn't notice her. "Nova, is that you?" Sunset asked. Nova turned around and saw Sunset there.

"Sunset, what are you doing here?" Nova asked.

"I was just meeting with someone, what about you?" Sunset asked happily.

"I was just coming here with my family to spend some time together," Nova told her.

"Well, that's nice," Sunset said.

"You in a hurry?" Nova asked.

"I am, sorry I can't stay to talk," Sunset said.

"Its fine, I have a feeling that we'll be able to talk again soon," Nova said.

"Ok, see you later," Sunset said as she rushed to the entrance.

"See you," Nova said as he waved goodbye. Sunset went to the entrance and passed by a group of four people. As she passed the group, she felt the same feeling she felt earlier. She decided to ignore it, but kept it in the back of her mind. Soon, Sunset found Tempest, who was standing in one spot and seemed to be waiting for something.

What took you so long?" Tempest asked.

"Well, I ran into a friend of mine and we talked for a little bit," Sunset said as she caught her breath.

"That's good, I actually ran into four friends that I made," Tempest told Sunset.

"Cool, anyway, how are we going to get to your house?" Sunset asked curiously.

"Don't worry, I called for something," Tempest said, a smile forming on her face. Sunset was about to ask why, but soon heard an engine coming closer to them. The two girls saw a motorcycle with no driver approach and stop in front of them. Sunset tried to process what she just saw when Tempest handed her a helmet.

"I'll tell you how later. For now, hop on," Tempest said as she got on the bike. Sunset dumbly got on and put on the helmet she was given. "You better hold on," Tempest said as she revved the motorcycle. Sunset did as she was told and the two rode off to Tempest's house.

* * *

After riding for about ten minutes, Tempest and Sunset started to pull into Tempest's garage. As they came to a stop, Tempest felt Sunset gripping her tightly. "Hey Sunset, you can stop holding on to me so tightly now," Tempest told her as she turned off the motorcycle. Sunset opened her eyes and saw that they were stopped.

"Sorry, it's just that you were driving very fast," Sunset said as she let go of Tempest's waist.

"Its fine, but don't tell me you didn't like going that fast," Tempest said as she took off her helmet. Sunset thought about that as she did the same.

"Ok, I'll admit that it was very exhilarating, but not something I would like to do again," Sunset told Tempest.

"Fair enough," Tempest said as she walked to the garage door and opened it. As Sunset stepped into the house, she was amazed by just the living room. "You like what you see?" Tempest asked as she entered the house herself.

"Of course I am, when you said your dad bought you a house, I was thinking a nice one floor house, not a two story luxury house," Sunset said.

"Well, what can I say, he has me spoiled," Tempest said as she smiled. Sunset said nothing as she continued to look around. As she looked around, she noticed a picture of five people on one of the stands.

"Hey Tempest, is this your family?" Sunset asked curiously. Tempest looked over and saw the picture that Sunset was looking like.

"Yes it is," Tempest said, some tears forming in her eyes. Sunset was about to ask what was wrong when she remembered the conversation they had at the mall.

"Oh, well do you want to talk about your family first or do you want me to talk about my time in the White Fang?" Sunset asked in an awkward tone.

"Do you mind going first? I need to think about how to talk about my family," Tempest requested.

"Ok, just be warned that I do have a lot to talk about, so if you have any questions, I would recommend you ask after I explain everything," Sunset explained.

"That's fine, also should mention, you don't have to explain everything, only what you feel is necessary," Tempest told Sunset.

"Ok, well I think it's a good idea to start from the beginning. I was going through a rough time in my life when I joined the White Fang; I had just left my home and wanted to do something with my life. That was when I was scouted for the White Fang by a woman named Cinder. She took me to the Vale Branch of the White Fang and was the commander of my unit in the early days."

"She was a ruthless commander always expecting success from her troops, but she treated me differently. I remember when the first mission I was on ended in failure, she got after everyone who took part in the mission. It didn't help that the mission I went on was my first time seeing how ruthless the White Fang were. They burned an entire village to the ground and I didn't take it well."

"While she was delivering her scolding, I silently moved away from the group and went to the roof of our HQ at the time. When I got there, I proceeded to sit down and instantly start to panic about what I saw. After about a minute of panicking, someone eventually came up to me. That someone turned out to be Cinder. Apparently she came to look for me because another member of my unit saw me leave."

"I told her I was sorry and that she could scold me for being a failure, but she did something that I didn't expect. She asked if she could talk with me privately and I told her it wasn't a problem. We went to her chambers in the HQ; each commander of the White Fang has a guarded room for themselves. When we arrived, she told the guards by the room to leave and they did as they were told."

"Upon entering the room, she said that while she was disappointed in me, she wanted to know why. I explained to her that I didn't know how to fight and was mostly a peaceful person before breaking out into tears. I told her I was a disgrace and that she should just get rid of me. To my surprise, instead of getting the reaction I was expecting, I received a hug from Cinder. She explained that she had no idea and felt sorry for me, which came to a surprise for me. She then offered to train me personally and help me get used to being in the White Fang."

Sunset then stopped there to let Tempest take in all of that information. "So I imagine that you accepted that offer?" Tempest asked.

"Of course I did, it was the only way I was going to survive," Sunset explained as she recalled the memory.

"Well, why don't we stop with your story for now?" Tempest offered.

"Why are you offering me that?" Sunset responded.

"Well, I think that this is a good stopping point for your story, plus I don't want you to remember any bad times you might have had," Tempest explained. Sunset thought about that offer for a minute before making a decision.

"I think that I will stop in that case," Sunset told Tempest.

"Ok, now what do you want to know about my family?" Tempest said, her tone becoming serious.

"Well, I just want to know why you don't want to talk about your family," Sunset said. Tempest let what Sunset said sit in her mind.

"The reason is don't talk about my family very much is because I don't know them very well," Tempest said.

"Let me guess, you were kept hidden from them?" Sunset guessed.

"That's right; it was actually my father's idea. After an incident I had in my past, it was the best course of action we could take," Sunset said.

"Ok, then how do you explain that picture of your family?" Sunset asked curiously.

"That was sent to me by my mother and father, they were the only ones who knew about what happened to me," Tempest explained as she held the picture.

"So did anything happen to your family?" Sunset asked tentatively. Tempest stayed silent as she put the photo down, got up from the chair, and grabbed her weapon from her waist.

"My mother died," Tempest said sadly.

"Oh, well now I feel like a bit of a bad person now," Sunset said as she rubbed the back of her head.

"It's fine, just try not to tell anyone else about it," Tempest said.

"Ok, so that's your weapon?" Sunset asked.

"They are, my mother actually designed these for me and I named them for my appreciation for her. These are known as the Frost Edges," Tempest told Sunset.

"Wow, I guess they mean a lot to you then. Do you want to see my weapon?" Sunset said.

"I wouldn't mind," Tempest said. Sunset grabbed the container on her waist and opened it to grab her weapon. Sunset reached in, grabbed her weapon, and pulled it out of the container.

"This is my weapon, I call it the Solar Divider," Sunset said as she showed it to Tempest.

"That is an interesting choice of weapon, I've never seen someone with twin swords before," Tempest said.

"Well, I could say the same thing about your elbow blades, so let's just leave it there," Sunset said jokingly. Tempest laughed at that statement and Sunset soon followed.

"You know, you're a good person Sunset," Tempest commented as she smiled.

"I could say the same about you; I've never been very social with anyone, but you seem different for some reason," Sunset told Tempest. Sunset then heard her Scroll ring from her pocket.

"Who could that be?" Tempest asked as Sunset took out her Scroll. When Sunset looked at the screen, she saw that she had an email from Ozpin.

"It's from Ozpin," Sunset said as she quickly opened the mail.

"What does it say?" Tempest asked curiously. After a few seconds of reading the mail, Sunset looked at Tempest.

"It says that he needs to speak to the both of us," Sunset said.

"Well, you want to take my bike to Beacon or do you want to walk?" Tempest asked.

"I think the bike is a better idea," Sunset said.

"Then let's go," Tempest said as she moved toward the garage door. The two girls entered the garage and put the helmets they left on the bike on. Tempest got on the bike and turned it on while Sunset grabbed Tempest's waist. "You ready Sunset?" Tempest asked.

"I'm ready," Sunset said nervously. A few moments later, the two were on the road to Beacon.


	6. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5: A Team's Formation & A Beginning Mission**

After a few minutes of riding, Sunset and Tempest eventually arrived at Beacon. "Come on, I'm curious as to what Ozpin wants to see us for," Tempest said as she turned off the bike. As they entered the school and started to head towards, the two bumped into two people who were running the opposite way. The four of them fell on the ground after they bumped in.

"Sorry, we were in a hurry," a girl said.

"Its fine, it was our problem for not paying attention," Sunset said as she and Tempest got up. When Tempest saw the people who they bumped into, her breath caught as she noticed the girl in particular.

"Well, then sorry, but we have to go," the male told them before they both ran off. As she girl ran past, Tempest noticed a familiar weapon on her hip.

"I recognize that weapon," Tempest thought.

"Hey, come on, weren't you the one in a rush?" Sunset asked, breaking Tempest's trance.

"Oh, yeah I'm coming," Tempest said as she followed Sunset. Eventually, the two arrived at Ozpin's office and saw a girl in a red coming out of the office.

"Oh, you must be students that Ozpin wanted to meet with," the girl said as she turned to them.

"We are, why do you ask?" Sunset asked.

"Well, because Ozpin said that he was going to meet with two potential students and I figure you two must be them," the girl said in an upbeat tone.

"Oh, well that makes a bit of sense," Sunset said.

"Wait a second, are you a student here?" Tempest asked curiously.

"Yes, I started last semester," the girl told Tempest.

"Well, you must have impressed Ozpin a lot. You look to be about two years younger than most of the students here," Tempest commented.

"You noticed, well you're right. Ozpin actually offered to make me come to Beacon after seeing how good I was after an incident with someone," the girl said.

"That's amazing, what's your name?" Sunset commented and asked.

"The name is Ruby Rose," the girl said.

"Well, it was nice meeting you Ruby, but we have to get to a meeting," Tempest said as she opened the door.

"It was nice meeting you two, I hope to see you next semester," Ruby said as she walked off.

"She seems nice," Sunset commented as she entered the room.

"Ah, I see you two have met with Ruby. She's a good kid, but I expect great things from her," Ozpin commented as they entered the room.

"Did you need to see us Mr. Ozpin?" Tempest asked curiously.

"Well, I wanted to speak with you and Sunset about a mission before you enter Beacon," Ozpin told the two as he stood from his desk.

"What was the mission you had in mind?" Sunset asked.

"The mission I had in mind is for you two, along with some of your friends, to go to an abandoned White Fang base on the edge of Vale," Ozpin told them. Ozpin then went to his computer and pulled up a map on a screen.

"A few days ago, before I met either of you two, we received information that there were multiple abandoned White Fang facilities located throughout the surrounding area. We thought nothing of it, until we decided to send Tempest to investigate one in the forest. Tempest, after analyzing the files you gave me from that mission I gave you to see if you were ready, we found that there was only one file in there and it was labeled Project: Freelancer. Does that ring any bells?" Ozpin explained.

Tempest and Sunset thought about the name in silence until Tempest snapped her fingers in realization. "I recognize that name; it's the code name for the Atlas Project to make a small, specialized army of Hunters and Huntresses known as Freelancers. What would the White Fang be doing with that?" Tempest commented.

"Well before I get to that, Sunset have you read about that Project?" Ozpin said to Sunset.

"I think I remember reading about that a while back," Sunset said.

"Well, what both you and Sunset read about was the information that was released to the public. Atlas didn't release much except the basic details about the Project. The unsettling thing is that the files we found in the White Fang's position were nearly complete files about Project: Freelancer. Most of the details about the Project were present and that made me wonder if Atlas had been hacked into," Ozpin explained to the two of them.

"Wait, you said most of the details were present, what did you mean by that?" Tempest asked.

"Well, from what we deduced, it appeared that someone did try to stop the data from being stolen because we noticed that some of it was deleted. All the real names and code names of the agents were not there and all the logs that pertained to missions were mostly destroyed or some parts were missing," Ozpin explained.

"So, I'm going to guess that you're telling us this because it pertains to the mission you're about to give us?" Sunset asked curiously.

"Exactly, what I want you two to do is look to see if you can find if that place has more information on Project: Freelancer or anything else like that," Ozpin told the two.

"Very well, how will we let you know when we are done?" Tempest asked. Ozpin thought about that for a second and thought about a good place.

"I would like you to meet me at a coffee shop that I like to go to by the name of Stellar Roast," Ozpin told the two.

"That seems fair, when should we do this mission?" Sunset asked.

"I would recommend today as starting in two days, I need to start preparing things for next semester," Ozpin said.

"Very well, is that all you wanted to speak to us about?" Tempest asked.

"Yes it is, you may go now," Ozpin said. The two turned and walked out of the office. After they both left, Ozpin heard a call coming in from his computer. He turned to his computer and saw who was calling. " _Well, I wasn't expecting a call from her anytime soon,_ " Ozpin thought as he answered the call.

"Hello, Ozpin are you there?" the caller asked.

"I'm here and by myself, what did you need to talk about Sol?" Ozpin responded.

"Well, I just thought I would call and see how everything is going before you started up school again," Sol told Ozpin.

"Well, it's going well, I just sent two new students on that mission I was telling you about. How about you, how has your life been going?" Ozpin said.

"Well, it's about the usual, the only interesting thing that has happened recently is my student becoming like me and having her own castle," Sol told Ozpin.

"Ah yes, how is your student doing by the way?" Ozpin asked.

"She's doing relatively well, the pressure of her job is getting her, but her friends are there to help her through a lot of the troubles," Sol said.

"Ah, it's good to see that she has help from her friends in that case," Ozpin said a smile forming on his face.

"Well, I better get going, I have thing that I need to do," Sol said.

"See you later Sol," Ozpin said before he hung up. After he hung up, he got up and left his office to go for a walk around Beacon.

* * *

"Ok, so what exactly are we going to do about this mission?" Tempest asked as they walked up to Tempest's bike. Sunset thought about that for a moment before she heard her Scroll ring as someone called her.

"Hang on, I'm getting a call," Sunset said as she got out her Scroll and answered the phone.

"Hey Sunset, are you there?" Nova's voice came from the Scroll.

"Hey Nova, what did you need?" Sunset asked.

"Well, you see something weird happened. Me, Storm, Nitro, and Nitro's family all got a message on our Scrolls," Nova told her.

"Really, who sent the message and what did it say?" Sunset asked curiously.

"Well, Ozpin sent us the message that said to meet together so that you and someone called Tempest could talk to us about something," Nova explained. Sunset processed that information and sighed as she heard Tempest do the same.

"Ok, where are you right now?" Sunset asked.

"Well, we're at Nitro's house," Nova told her.

"Wait for me there, I'm on my roll," Sunset said hanging up the Scroll and putting it away. Sunset then saw Tempest sitting on the bike.

"Let me guess, your friend called you and said they were waiting at a house because of a message of they received from Ozpin?" Tempest asked as Sunset got on.

"Same happen to you?" Sunset responded as she put on the helmet.

"No, I overheard the conversation that you two had. I know where to go, so hang on," Tempest said as she started the bike. Sunset grabbed on and the two headed off to the meeting place.

* * *

After a few minutes, the two of them arrived in front of Nova's house. "So, this is the house that they are meeting in?" Sunset said as she took off the helmet and got off the bike.

"Yes it is, I know pretty much all the people that live here by the way," Tempest told Sunset as they approached the door. Tempest knocked on the door and it opened to reveal Nova on the other side of the door.

"Sunset, there you are. How did you get here so fast?" Nova asked.

"Well, I rode with Tempest here, the other student Ozpin mentioned," Sunset told him.

"Oh, then I guess we can introduce everyone and you two can explain what we are doing," Nova said as he let them in. After introducing everyone to each other, they all meet up in the living room of the house.

"So, what did Ozpin talk to you about in terms of the mission?" Phaze asked as she brought out drinks for everyone.

"Well, do you guys know of any White Fang bases around Vale that have been abandoned?" Tempest asked.

"I know of a few, I like to wander and see what I can find," Wind told the two.

"The one we're going to look at is the edge of Vale," Sunset mentioned.

"I think I know the one you're talking about, it's the one that is located to the northeast of the city," Nova commented.

"That is correct," Tempest said as she brought out the map of where they are going.

"That's awesome, when do we get to go?" Emrel asked in an excited tone. Shade then smacked the back of her brother's head which caused everyone to giggle at the sight.

"You and me can't go you dummy, we have to stay here," Shade told Emrel.

"You two can actually come along," Phaze told the two.

"Really, we can!" they both exclaimed.

"Well, Phaze can't necessarily leave you two alone, plus I think I'll take both of you with me to help," Tempest told the two.

"So, I imagine that you two will need teams to help with the task?" Nitro asked.

"Well, I think that is why Ozpin sent you all the messages, he wants you all to for teams with either me or Tempest," Sunset explained.

"Well, if it's ok with you all, I'm going to stick with Sunset," Storm said after being silent for the entire combination.

"I think me and Nova are going with Sunset as well," Nitro said.

"I think that it would be good if we are with teammates who we are friends with and have two separate teams," Tempest suggested.

"I actually think that is a good idea, it's easier to have better cooperation with people who know each other," Nova commented.

"That does make a lot of sense, so I imaging that you two will choose the teams in that case?" Wind asked.

"I think that will be a good idea, so do you want to go first Sunset?" Tempest asked curiously.

"Well, if we want to go with people that I know of as teammates, I believe that I want Nova, Storm, and Nitro on my team," Sunset said.

"In that case, I guess I'll take Emrel, Phaze, Shade, and Wind for my team," Tempest said. After the teams were decided and everyone moved to their respective leader, they all decided to work on a plan together.

"So as far as me and Tempest know, we don't know anything about the layout of that place or where anything is stored and we can just assume that it is completely abandoned," Sunset explained to everyone.

"Well, I've seen that place from a distance and it looked completely abandoned. No guards looking over the place, no people that work to maintain it, it looked completely abandoned from where I was standing," Nova commented.

"Well, how about we make two different jobs for each team?" Wind suggested.

"That would make the most sense, especially because if we have two groups doing two different things, we can get this done faster," Tempest commented.

"I can see the advantage in splitting into two groups, but how should go about deciding which of us goes where?" Sunset asked.

"Well, since Wind knows what the general area and shape of it is, I would say that Sunset's team should take the outside and see if anyone is coming to the facility," Tempest suggested.

"I think that sounds good, so I guess that means that you five will take care of the inside of the facility?" Sunset asked curiously.

"That would be correct," Tempest said.

"So, is that all we are going to do in terms of planning?" Phaze asked.

"I think so for now, we can decide what to do for our individual teams when we arrive at the facility," Tempest said as she got up.

"I agree with that," Sunset said as she got up.

"Well in that case, should we go to the facility?" Tempest asked. Everyone nodded and they all took off to the abandoned facility.

* * *

After about an hour of travel, the nine of them arrived at the facility they were going to investigate. "So, now that we're here what is the plan?" Wind asked as he looked over the facility.

"Well, since we know what team is going where, we know which part of the facility we are going to go," Phaze told Wind.

"Hey Sunset, what is your team going to do on the outside?" Tempest asked.

"Well, I suppose that my team can be on the lookout for anyone that happens to come by," Sunset said.

"In that case, we should keep in constant contact so we know what is going on," Tempest said as she got out her Scroll.

"I think that is a good idea for everyone," Phaze commented to the group. After about a minute or two, everyone had exchanged their Scroll information with each other.

"Now that that is done, shall we get this mission started?" Sunset asked everyone. Everyone nodded in agreement as they all started to go and wait for their leaders.

"Hey, good luck to you," Tempest said extending her hand.

"Same to you," Sunset said as she shook her hand. As Sunset shook Tempest's hand, she felt a tingling sensation go throughout her arm. Thinking it was her imagination; she finished shaking Tempest's hand and went to go join her team.

* * *

After the two teams split up, Sunset and her team went to the outside of the facility. "So, what exactly are we going to be doing leader?" Nova asked Sunset.

"Well, I say we split up into groups of two for now and look around the perimeter to see if we find anything as well as keeping a look out for anyone coming to the compound," Sunset told her teammates.

"So, how about me and Storm go together while you and Nova pair up?" Nitro suggested. Sunset thought about that and decided that it was the best course of action.

"That seems like a logical idea, so you two want to take the east end while me and Nova take the west?" Sunset said.

"That seems fair, so we keep in contact with each other?" Storm asked.

"Correct, when you see something happen or you find something interesting, let me know by Scroll or come back to our area," Sunset said. Nitro and Storm nodded in agreement with Nova staying silent the whole time. "Ok, let's get this done quick, I don't want them to beat us," Sunset said as her competitive side started to show. The four then split into their teams and went to their respective ends of the compound.

"So, I think Nitro is trying to get us alone so we can talk alone," Nova commented after they split up.

"I think you might be right," Sunset said as they went over by the entrance to the compound. Nova looked around the area to check if the coast was clear when he noticed an out of place box right next to the entrance.

"Hey, what's that box doing there?" Nova asked as he pointed out the box.

"Why are you telling me about a box?" Sunset asked out of annoyance as he looked at him.

"I don't know it just seems like an odd place to put one. Heck even if they did leave it behind, where it is right now wouldn't be a good place to put the box if it was something important," Nova explained. Sunset was about to retort when she thought about that for a moment.

"You have a fair point there," Sunset told Nova.

"Exactly, now let's…" Nova said as he looked at where the box was. Sunset followed Nova's gaze to see that the box that they both saw was not there anymore. "You saw that the box was there earlier right?" Nova asked.

"I did, and neither of us moved it," Sunset responded.

"Let's just move on before either of us gets a headache," Nova said as he started to walk away from the entrance.

"Agreed," Sunset said as she followed Nova. The two walked away from the entrance to the facility and went to another part of the compound.

* * *

Meanwhile, Nitro and Storm were searching part of a warehouse on the east side of the facility. "Hey, what do you think happened here?" Nitro said as he searched some of the crates in the warehouse.

"You mean what happened to make the White Fang abandon this facility or what were the White Fang doing here before they left?" Storm responded as she kept a look out for anyone coming.

"I was thinking only the first one, but you could tell me your opinions on both," Nitro told Storm as he opened another crate.

"Well, to tell you my opinion on what they were doing here, what have you found in here?" Storm asked.

"Well, I found various types of Dust, different types of weapons, and oddly enough some surgical tools," Nitro told Storm.

"Surgical tools?" Storm asked out of confusion as she walked over to the crates Nitro was around.

"Yeah, take a look in that one with the red cross on it," Nitro said pointing out the one he was describing. Storm walked over and looked in to find various types of surgical tools.

"Why would they have surgical tools? I know they get hurt in battles, but the White Fang should be fine thanks to their Auras," Storm said.

"I know, which makes me wonder why they needed to evacuate," Nitro commented.

"What do you mean?" Storm asked curiously.

"I've looked through about 20 crates already, but from what I saw in all of the crates; it doesn't look like they were in any danger of anything going wrong," Nitro told Storm.

"But isn't it possible that they left some stuff behind when they abandoned this place?" Storm questioned.

"Not exactly, there is just too much important stuff here to make someone think that they left some things behind. Heck, there are several crates that are full of various types of Dust and weapons and it all seems important as well," Nitro explained.

"So, you think that something happened here that made the White Fang station here leave in a hurry? Because that's what I think happened," Storm inquired.

"You might be right, but I can't help but shake the feeling that something else happened here," Nitro said as he moved to another crate. When he got up to the crate, he noticed that this crate seemed to be shaking a little bit. "Hey Storm, can you come here and tell me what you think of this?" Nitro asked as he looked at the area around the crate. Storm got closer to the crate and noticed the same thing that Nitro mentioned.

"Is there someone in this thing?" Storm asked as the box moved more violently.

"I think so," Nitro said as he lifted the top of the crate off. Inside the crate, the two of them found a tied up White Fang member. The two immediately took him out of the crate and untied him.

"Thanks, I've been in that thing for a few hours," the male Faunus said.

"No problem, we just wanted to help. Name's Nitro and this is Storm, what's your name?" Nitro told him.

"My name is Palom," he told the two with a big grin on his face.

"Hey, what were you even doing in there anyway?" Storm asked Palom.

"Well, I was looking for my sister here when I got knocked out by someone. Next thing I remember is waking up inside that crate and being stuck there until you two came and saved me," Palom explained.

"You were looking for your sister? Where did you last remember seeing her?" Nitro asked curiously.

"We were inside the facility," Palom said.

"We actually have some friends of ours in the building at the moment, let me call one of them," Storm said as she pulled out her Scroll.

"You two and your friends are from Beacon, aren't you?" Palom asked. Storm and Nitro looked at each other and then looked back at Palom with a suspicious look. "Hey, I may be with the White Fang, but I don't care about this place anymore," Palom told the two.

"Ok, as long as you say so," Nitro said as Storm called Tempest. After a few rings, she heard the line be picked up. "Hey Tempest, are you there?" Storm asked.

"Yes I am, what did you need?" Tempest asked in a slightly annoyed tone.

"Were you in the middle of something?" Storm asked in a disappointed tone.

"Kind of, I was going to call Sunset to see if she could help me find the brother of a Faunus girl named Porom," Tempest told Storm. There was a moment of silence from Storm as she put the Scroll away from her mouth. "Hey Palom, what is your sister's name?" Tempest asked Palom.

"Her name is Porom, why do you ask?" Palom responded. Tempest slowly nodded and brought the Scroll back to the mouth.

"Hey, could you put the call on speaker?" Storm asked.

"Sure, but why do you want me to do that?" Tempest responded.

"Just trust me, you'll have an easier time understanding if you just do it," Storm told Tempest. Storm quickly made her call speaker as well so Palom and Nitro could hear the call as well.

"Ok, the call is on speaker for me," Tempest told Storm.

"I don't see why you're doing this; we need to find my brother," an unfamiliar voice told Tempest. Palom immediately recognized the voice and called out in response

"Porom, is that you?!" Palom asked out of surprise. "Palom, is that you?" Porom responded in a equally surprised tone.

"It is me, without a doubt. Where are you sis?" Palom responded.

"I'm still inside the facility. Where did you go, I've been worried sick," Porom said.

"I was knocked out by someone, tied up, taken to a warehouse on the edge of the compound, and stuffed in a crate. I would have been stuck there if it weren't for Storm and Nitro here," Palom explained.

"We were just looking through some of the crates here when I happened to find him," Nitro chimed in.

"Thank you both for finding him, I really appreciate it," Porom told Nitro and Storm.

"It's no problem, but what were you two doing here anyway?" Storm responded. Palom and Porom both fell silent as they thought about what to say.

"Should we tell them sis?" Palom asked.

"I don't see why not. Besides, I don't think we should stick around with the White Fang any longer," Porom told him.

"Wait, are the both of you with the White Fang or not?" Tempest asked the two of them.

"Well, it's a long story, but let's just say that we've wanted an excuse to get out of the White Fang for a while," Palom responded.

"Ok, what do we do with you two at the moment?" Storm asked the two. Palom and Porom were both silent as they considered their options.

"Well, at the moment, I think the best thing for us to do would be to meet up," Porom suggested.

"I agree, the sooner we get out of here and away from that thing the better," Palom said. It was at that point that Storm and Nitro got a bit confused.

"Hey Palom and Porom, what exactly were the White Fang doing here anyway?" Tempest asked curiously.

"I don't know the exact details, but I know it had yellow eyes," Palom commented. That statement caused Tempest, as well as Storm and Nitro, to involuntarily tense up.

"Hey Palom, was this thing a Grimm by any chance?" Storm asked.

"It was, why do you ask?" Porom responded. When Porom said that, Storm and Nitro immediately looked back at the entrance to the warehouse.

"Ok, so how about we go meet up with the rest of our respective teams and leave the compound?" Tempest suggested.

"That seems fair; we'll call you later and see where we can meet up?" Storm responded.

"Ok, see you later," Tempest said before hanging up the call. Storm put her Scroll away as Storm and Nitro looked at Palom.

"So, where is the rest of your team?" Palom asked.

"They're on the other side of the compound, come on," Nitro said as he ran ahead. Palom nodded and followed Nitro with Storm behind the both of them.


	7. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6: A Complication & A Mission's End**

Back by the entrance of the facility, Sunset and Nova were looking through various crates and found most of the stuff that Storm and Nitro found in the warehouse. "Well, I found more weapons and Dust in this crate," Nova called as he looked through two more creates.

"I found more surgical supplies over here," Sunset said as she closed her crate.

"Why do the White Fang need so many surgical tools again?" Nova asked curiously.

"Well, I think they do various experiments on their members. If they don't do that, then I have no clue what they would use that for, Sunset said.

"Oh, well I guess that makes some sort of sense," Nova told Sunset. Sunset simply nodded in response as she felt a tiny pang of guilt.

" _I feel bad about not telling him, but I don't want to say anything yet. Plus, I don't even want to think about the thing I saw those tools being used for,_ " Sunset thought as she felt a shudder go through her. The two kept on looking through crates and keeping a watch until they saw Storm, Nitro, and a male Faunus running up to them.

"Looks like they found a White Fang member who was willing to cooperate, I wonder what they found out," Nova commented as he made a mental note about something.

"I'm curious as to who that member is," Sunset said in a curious tone. As the three running towards them came into focus, Sunset immediately recognized the Faunus that they found. After a few seconds, Storm, Nitro, and Palom meet up with Sunset and Nova.

"Hey, we need to get going now," Nitro said in a slightly panicked tone.

"Hang on, you didn't even introduce to your new friend," Nova said in a playful tone.

"Well, Nova and Sunset this is Palom. Palom, this is Sunset and Nova," Storm said quickly as she panted. Before anyone could say anything, Sunset and Palom walked up to each other and looked at each other.

"Um, what are you two doing?" Nitro asked in a confused tone, breaking the two out of their trance.

"Oh sorry, it's just I never thought I would meet an old friend of mine here," Palom said in a happy tone.

"Same here, I thought I would never see you again Palom," Sunset said as she hugged her old friend. Before anyone else could say anything, a roar echoed throughout the facility. "What was that?" Sunset asked as she got out her weapon.

"Well, me, Storm, and Tempest think that the White Fang brought a Rabid Grimm into the facility," Nitro said as he got out a pair of pistols.

"A Rabid Grimm in Vale? First off, how did they get it in the city not only unnoticed, but safely? Secondly, do the White Fang know what they were dealing with?" Nova questioned as he got out am axe and put it on his shoulder.

"Don't ask me, I was just sent here to see why this place was abandoned," Palom said in a slightly panicked tone.

"Well, we shouldn't worry about that at the moment. Right now, we need to focus on meeting up with Tempest and the others in order to get out of here," Storm said as she got out a pair of elbow blades.

"Storm is right, we need to get out here and meet up with Tempest's team," Sunset said in a leader like tone. As they were about to walk in front of the entrance, Sunset stopped the others as there was a loud stomping coming from their destination.

"Um, because I think it might be ahead of us, mind if I ask what a Rabid Grimm is?" Palom asked awkwardly.

"Well, a Rabid Grimm is a very powerful type of Grimm that can take up to five teams working together to take it down," Nitro explained.

"Oh, what makes it so special in that case?" Palom asked.

"Well, the one thing that separates it from other Grimm, aside from the fact that it's eyes are yellow instead of red, is that they have an something similar to an Aura that absorbs attacks, which is the main reason it's so dangerous," Storm told Palom.

"So, what's the plan to avoid the thing Sunset?" Nova asked as he turned to where Sunset was. When he looked, he saw Sunset was getting up and looking to run towards the creature. "Hey, what do you think you're doing?!" Nova asked in an alarmed tone.

"Well, I was going to distract the thing so Palom could go find Tempest's team inside the compound," Sunset explained.

"You're thinking about facing a Rabid Grimm alone?" Do you have a death wish?" Storm asked. Sunset stayed silent as she considered that statement.

"You might be right, but I want to help my friends and team get away safely," Sunset said with a smile.

"Wow, I never thought I would see you care for people Sunset," Palom said in an amazed tone.

"Hey, people can change when you haven't seen them for a while," Sunset said.

"So I can guess that none of us will be talking you out of this crazy plan?" Storm asked curiously.

"What do you think?" Sunset responded.

"Well, in that case I think I'll join you. After all, you'll need someone to drag your corpse back," Storm said in a joking tone as she put her elbow blades together to form a bow.

"I appreciate the sentiment, heck, I might need to do the same to you," Sunset responded, making Storm laugh a little.

"Hey, if you two jokers are done, we've got a thing to distract," Nitro said with a sigh.

"So, now that Nitro and Storm are coming, I guess you're the only one left," Sunset said to Nova.

"You're correct, and I think I am joining you. After all, we're a team and teams stick together no matter what the obstacle," Nova said.

"Ok, Palom do you think that you can get inside quickly while we get its attention?" Sunset asked in a leader like tone.

"Of course," Palom said nervously.

"Hey, don't worry about us, we'll be fine. You just worry about finding Tempest's team," Sunset told Palom in a comforting tone.

"Ok, I'll go find them. Come back safely," Palom said in a worried tone before he went to a good hiding spot to wait.

"So, what's the plan fearless leader?" Nova asked enthusiastically.

"Well, I think that Storm should run and take shot at the Grimm to get its attention. Nova, you try to get to its side and hit it hard with your ax. Me and Nitro will back either of you up if you need help. Any objections to the plan?" Sunset responded.

"Just wondering what type of Grimm it is," Storm said.

"Well, it's an Ursa so our job should be made a bit easier," Sunset said.

"Well, then I say we get started," Nitro said.

"Agreed, Storm if you would be so kind," Sunset said as she moved out of the way. Storm simply nodded and ran off towards the Grimm as she pulled back on her bow.

"I'll be heading off now as well," Nova said as he ran to the left side of the Grimm.

"Hey, how does Storm's bow work if you don't mind me asked?" Sunset said as she got her twin swords ready.

"If I remember correctly, I believe it channels Dust that it naturally makes, don't ask it's a long story, to form arrows of wind," Nitro said as he looked forward, twirling his pistols around.

"Huh, mine works on a similar concept, but I suggest we talk about this later," Sunset said as she got into a running position. Nitro simply nodded as he did the same. When they heard the Rabid Ursa roar out of pain, the two rushed forward to join their teammates.

* * *

Meanwhile with Palom, he took the opportunity to run when he had a chance. " _I feel bad about leaving them to fend for themselves, but I want to find my sister,_ " Palom thought as he dashed towards the entrance. As he got closer, he heard voices coming from inside the facility. " _Hey, I recognize that voice,_ " Palom thought as he slowed down.

"The good news is that we might be able to escape if we can keep the Grimm distracted for long enough," the voice said from inside.

"I wouldn't worry too much about that, Sunset and her team are already taking care of that," Palom said as he walked in. As he walked in, he saw Porom and who he assumed was Tempest and her team.

"Palom, I'm glad you're alright," Porom said happily.

"Hey, I was with some good people," Palom said quietly as he kneeled down on the wall opposite them.

"Before we continue, I would like you all to meet my brother Palom. We were both sent here by the White Fang, but we're not going to be with them anymore," Porom said in a quiet, cheerful tone.

"Hey, if you don't mind me being rude and asking, why are Sunset and the others fighting the Rabid Grimm?" Wind asked curiously.

"Well, they wanted to make a distraction so I could find you," Palom explained.

"Ok, so did they tell you what to do after you found us?" Porom asked curiously.

"Well, I imagine that would be to leave," Palom said.

"There is no way I'm leaving Sunset's team here to face that thing on their own," Tempest said as she got up to go help Sunset's team.

"Hang on, if you just rush in head first like that, you'll get yourself killed like that," Phaze said as she grabbed Tempest's arm to stop her.

"Do you expect me to just stay here and leave them to fend for themselves?" Tempest responded in a panicked tone. Wind then got up and grabbed Tempest by the elbows

"Hey, we want to save them as well, but we won't get anywhere if we just charge in, we need to come up with a plan," Wind told Tempest as he shook her. After he finished shaking her, Tempest regained her composure from her momentary freak out.

"You're right; we need to come up with a plan. Sorry about the freak out by the way," Tempest said in an apologetic tone.

"Its fine, we all have out things we need to freak out about and apparently we found yours," Shade said in a sympathetic tone.

"Yeah, so at the moment I'm trying to decide whether we should get Palom and Porom to safety or to help Sunset and the others leaving Palom and Porom here," Tempest told everyone.

"Actually, we might have a solution that will make that decision easier," Porom said as she walked over to her brother.

"Oh right, I completely forgot about that because we haven't used it in a while," Palom said as she got up.

"What are you two talking about?" Emrel asked.

"Well, you see, me and Palom are fraternal twins. That may seem obvious, but we discovered something that makes a bit unique," Porom explained as she grabbed her brother's hand.

"What would that be?" Wind asked.

"Well, why don't we just show you?" Palom said as he smiled. Before anyone could respond, they hear Porom say "Vanish!" and the two disappeared right in front of them. This naturally surprised everyone as they didn't know what was going on.

"Were you all surprised?" Palom asked, her voice coming from where she was last standing.

"Of course we are. What did you do, I've never seen something like that before," Emrel said out of amazement.

"I would recommend we talk about this after all of us get out of here," Palom interrupted.

"Oh right, well since Palom and Porom can get out just fine, I guess we know what we're doing," Shade said.

"You got that right. Before we go though, I have to ask them something," Tempest said as she looked out the entrance.

"What did you want to ask?" the two asked while invisible.

"Will you be able to find your way out safely?" Tempest asked.

"Of course we will be able to, why do you ask?" Palom responded.

"Just making sure," Tempest said.

"So, are we going to go help already?" Phaze asked.

"Well, I think we should. Come on," Tempest said as she started to run out of the building towards the Grimm.

"What are we going to do about a plan?" Wind called out.

"We'll come with one while we're fighting," Tempest responded.

"Is she always like that?" Palom asked curiously as they reappeared.

"We haven't known her for that long, but she's friendly. That headstrong attitude hers is probably going to get us in a lot of trouble in the near future," Wind said before heading after her.

"Sorry to leave you two here, but we have to go help our leader," Phaze said as she started to leave.

"Don't worry about us, just worry about getting out of here," Shade said as both she and Phaze ran off.

"Hey, what's your name?" Porom asked Emrel before he left.

"It's Emrel, why do you ask?" Emrel responded as Porom walked up to him.

"Well, I want you to give this to Tempest," Porom said as she held out her hand. Emrel saw that there were two small disks: one with the symbol of a flame on it and the other with Tempest's symbol.

"What's this?" Emrel asked as he grabbed the disks.

"They're something that will come in handy for her, tell her to put them on her bracelet. Just make sure that she puts the one with her symbol firs" Porom said, which surprised Palom a little.

"I don't really understand, but I'll be sure to give it to her. Stay safe you two," Emrel said before running off to join his team.

"Hey, are you sure giving that to Tempest is the best idea?" Palom asked in a cautious tone as he walked up to his sister.

"I saw that she had the bracelet, I know we can trust her," Porom told her brother.

"Ok, if you say so. Now, let's get out this place," Palom said as he grabbed his sisters hand awkwardly. Porom said nothing as she cast the Vanish spell again. The two then turned invisible and left the facility to look for a safe exit.

* * *

Back with Sunset and the other, they weren't having the best time. "Any luck getting through the Aura of this thing?!" Sunset yelled to Storm as they both shot arrows at it.

"No luck yet from what I can tell, our attacks alone aren't enough to hurt it," Storm responded as they dodged from a claw that was coming towards them. After they dodged the attack, a blast of energy came from behind them and knocked back the Ursa. Sunset and Storm looked in the direction that the blast came from and saw Tempest running up to them.

"Hey, are we late to the party?" Tempest said as the rest of her team ran up behind her.

"No, you're not, but we expected you five to be helping Palom and Porom get out of here," Sunset said as she panted.

"They'll be taking care of that themselves. Now that we're here what do you think about some help?" Tempest said in a bit of a cocky tone.

"You know, we kind of need that right now," Storm said with a smile.

"Ok, then I'll stay with you two. Shade and Emrel, you two go help Nitro while Wind and Phaze go help Nova," Tempest ordered her team. Everyone nodded and ran off to their respective places, but Emrel stopped and ran back after he remembered something.

"Tempest, Porom asked me to give these to you," Emrel said as she gave Tempest the disks.

"What are these things?" Tempest asked as she looked over the disks.

"I don't know exactly, but Porom said to put this one in your bracelet first," Emrel said as he pointed to the one with Tempest's symbol on it.

"Ok, I'll do it. You better go with your sister," Tempest told Emrel.

"Got it, good luck you three," Emrel said before running off. Tempest simply walked up between Sunset and Storm as she put the disk on the front of the bracelet. After she inserted it, Tempest noticed that the ten buttons flashed different colors before all turning white.

" _Looks like this thing is finally working for me,_ " Tempest thought as she put her Frost Edges together to form a short sword.

"I've been meaning to ask about that bracelet by the way," Sunset commented as she looked at the bracelet.

"Well, I've also been meaning to ask you about that gauntlet, but as you tell, now is not exactly the best time to ask that," Tempest said as the Grimm got up from the floor.

"Agreed, I'll tell you and Storm about my gauntlet later if you tell us about your bracelet," Sunset said as she changed her Solar Divider to its twin blade mode.

"I would opt out of this, but I guess I could actually try to make a new friend," Storm said sarcastically as she changed her weapon into an assault rifle. The Grimm got back up and let out a big roar.

"Hey, you all ready or what?" Tempest called to everyone.

"Of course we are," they all responded in a confident tone.

"Ok then, let's take this thing down," Tempest said as she charged forward at the Grimm.

"She's really fearless isn't she?" Sunset asked curiously.

"No, something tells me that it's a drive to help her friends that does that. Weather that's a good or bad thing, we'll see in the future," Storm said before following Tempest's lead.

"Fighting for your friends, that's something that I can get behind," Sunset thought before quickly running to catch up. Unknown to both her and Tempest, something inside the both of them resonated quietly.

* * *

As Tempest got closer she noticed several shots and blasts coming from the left and right of the Grimm. The Grimm wasn't flinching at all, which meant its protection was still up. "Tempest!" Storm called out as she and Sunset ran up beside her.

As Tempest got closer she noticed several shots and blasts coming from the left and right of the Grimm. The Grimm wasn't flinching at all, which meant its protection was still up. "Tempest!" Storm called out as she and Sunset ran up beside her.

"You two ready to hold this thing off?" Tempest asked. Sunset and Storm just nodded as Storm stopped and aimed her assault rifle at the Ursa.

"Try this on for size!" Storm said as a three round burst of Wind came from her gun. When the rounds hit, they created a force of wind and staggered the Grimm. s the Grimm staggered, both Sunset and Tempest slashed at its legs. Nova then jumped above the Grimm and delivered a cleave to it's torso with his ax.

"How's that for an attack?!" Nova bragged confidently. The Grimm then recovered and swiped a claw at Nova, knocking him back.

"Nova!" Sunset called out of worry. Phaze then ran up an launched a blast of energy at the Grimm getting its attention.

"Shade! Emrel! Move in now!" Tempest yelled as the Grimm was distracted. Shade then too this opportunity to pop out of the Grimm's shadow and impale it with her spear while Emrel ran up and fired several rounds from his assault rifle at it. Tempest and Sunset noticed that when the bullets impacted, they left areas of pure darkness on the Rabid Grimm's fur.

"Sis, you know what to do!" Emrel called as he changed his assault rifle into a lance and charging at the Grimm. Shade responded by taking her weapon, pull it out of the Rabid Grimm, which propelled her to the ground, and started to concentrate. The Grimm, noticing that Shade had lowered her guard, was about to swipe a claw at her when half of the areas of darkness shot out chains that held the Grimm in place. Emrel, along with Nitro who had turned his dual pistols into a katana, attacked the exposed parts of the Grimm.

"Hey, if you don't mind me asking, what is Shade's semblance?" Sunset asked curiously as she and Tempest analyzed the situation.

"Umbrakinesis, the power over darkness and shadows as well as one of the ten elemental semblances," Tempest told Sunset.

"Huh, so she had one as well?" Sunset said out amazement.

"Yes, she… Wait, what did you say?" Tempest said when what Sunset said registered in her mind.

"Oh yeah, I have control over fire, Storm has control over wind, and Nova has control over light," Sunset explained. Before Tempest could question further, the Grimm broke free of the chains and smacked both Emrel and Nitro away.

"Emrel!" Shade yelled before the Grimm started to charge at her. Shade wouldn't have been able to dodge if Phaze didn't roll and get her out of the way.

"Tempest, we need to get out of here!" Phaze yelled as she ran to get Emrel and Nitro.

"I agree, Sunset can you lead us to the way you came into the facility?" Tempest asked quickly as she and Sunset started to back away.

"I can, but we'll need someone to distract the Grimm long enough," Sunset told Tempest. Just as the Grimm turned to them, Sunset and Tempest heard a voice behind them.

" **ZYUOH FINAL!** "

After the voice said that, a blast of energy came from behind them and struck the Grimm in the chest, which sent it flying backwards. Everyone turned to the source of the blast and saw an armored warrior with a red parka on carrying what looked like a cube-shaped blaster walking towards them. Sunset and Tempest noticed that the helmet had the symbol of an eagle on it and a sickle like horn sticking out. "Hey, did you call for some help?" the female warrior asked.

"We did, but who are you?" Sunset aside as she was still tense. The warrior turned away as she thought about that for a little before turning back.

"I'm a student at Beacon, the name is Kamen Rider Buki," she said as she looked towards the Rabid Grimm.

"Well, we appreciate the help Ms. Buki, but are you sure that you can take that Grimm?" Phaze said in a worried tone as she helped Shade and Emrel.

"Just Buki is fine, and I wouldn't worry too much about that thing. I'm pretty sure the attack I just used knocked it out cold," Buki said as she looked at the weapon she was holding. The entire group turned to the Rabid Grimm and saw that it was motionless as it lay on the ground.

"Well, even if you did kill it, I still say we get out of here," Nova said as he started to put his weapon away.

"Agreed," everyone but Buki said as they did the same to their weapons. With that, the ten people present rushed to the place where Sunset entered from. When they got there, they were greeted with Palom and Porom waiting there for them.

"You're all still alive," Porom said in a happy tone.

"What are you two doing here, I thought we told you to get out of here," Tempest said as she walked over to them.

"We were going to leave, but we decided to wait for you all," Palom said as he started to climb the wall.

"I can see you're eager to get out of here, and I really suggest we do, but where are we going now?" Porom asked before they took off.

"Well, apparently Ozpin wants to meet us a place called Stellar Roast, but I'm pretty sure none of us know where that is," Sunset said as she looked at everyone who was there.

"Actually, I've been there a few times myself, so I can guide you there," Buki chimed in.

"Really? You go to a coffee shop?" Wind asked out of confusion.

"You know that Buki isn't my real name, it's just the one I use when I have the armor on," Buki said.

"Oh, well you don't mind leading us to the café?" Shade asked curiously.

"Not at all, after all, it was Ozpin who told me to keep an eye on you in case anything went wrong," Buki said. Before anyone could react, they all heard a roar from the direction the Grimm was at.

"Less talking, more running!" Palom said as he hopped off the wall. No one else complained as the all either climbed over or jumped over the wall. After they were all on the ground, everyone quickly sprinted away from the facility.

"Hey Sunset, would you say that this was a successful mission?" Tempest asked as they ran.

"I think it is, I mean, even if we didn't find out anything about Project: Freelancer, we still found out some things," Sunset said in response.

* * *

After running up to some of the buildings near the edge of Vale, everyone stopped and rest for a moment while Sunset contacted Ozpin. "So, when did you want us to meet up?" Sunset asked Ozpin over the call.

"Well, how about an hour?" Ozpin responded.

"That seems fair, should me and Tempest come without our teams?" Sunset questioned.

"I would recommend that. I would also suggest bringing Palom and Porom along. Don't worry, I would just want to ask them a few questions about the White Fang," Ozpin said.

"Ok, thanks for the information Ozpin. We'll see you an hour," Sunset said as she hang up. Sunset walked back to the group as they were resting and recovering.

"What did Ozpin say?" Tempest asked curiously.

"Well, he said you me, Palom, Porom, and Buki should head to the place in about an hour," Sunset said.

"That's fair in all honesty, that gives us time to rest while you five go meet with Ozpin," Wind said as he shook his head.

"So, we each go to a place where we can exchange our information and we meet up in an hour," Tempest suggested.

"I think that would be a good plan, but what do we do about Palom, Porom, and Buki?" Sunset asked out of curiosity.

"Well, the two of us can go with Sunset and Buki can go with Tempest?" Porom responded.

"I have no objections with that," Buki said in a nonchalant tone.

"Ok, well then we'll see you in about an hour," Sunset said as her team, along with Palom and Porom, started to get up.

"Where should we meet up?" Tempest asked as her team did the same.

"How about in front of Outer Haven?" Buki suggested.

"Sounds like a plan," Sunset and Tempest said. With that, the two teams went their separate ways.


	8. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7: A Mission Debriefing & ****A Meeting of Riders**

After parting ways with Tempest's team and Buki, Sunset, along with her team, Palom, and Porom all headed to Storm's house to exchange any information they have learned. After letting everyone settle in and getting some drinks and food, they started to exchange information. "So, what did you two find out before the whole fiasco happened?" Sunset asked her team.

"Well, there is not much to talk about. Like we said before we fought the Rabid Grimm, we looked through some crates before finding Palom," Storm explained to Sunset.

"You know, we were actually doing the exact same thing," Nova commented.

"Huh, then I guess you found some stuff similar to what we found," Nitro told Sunset.

"Would the stuff you happened to find be various weapons, different vials of dust, and the occasional medical supplies?" Sunset commented.

"Well, in that case I guess there isn't much to talk about on our end, but we still have two people who have not spoken," Storm said as she looked towards Palom and Porom. The two twins looked at each other and sighed out of exhaustion.

"I figured that one of you would ask why we were at the facility to begin with considering it was abandoned," Porom said as she massaged her forehead.

"Actually, that has me wondering about something that both of you said when we first found you," Nitro commented as he looked at Palom.

"Wow, I honestly didn't think that you would remember that considering that we were attacked by a Grimm," Palom said as he sighed.

"Hang on; what are you two talking about?" Nova asked the two.

"Well, after me and Nitro found Palom, I decided to call Tempest to ask for her advice. What none of us realized was that she had found Porom," Storm explained.

"So, what did you find interesting that they said?" Sunset asked curiously.

"Well, I guess there is no point in really hiding it anymore, is it sis?" Palom said in an exhausted voice.

"So, you were sent here to do something at the facility?" Sunset asked curiously.

"Well, we will tell you, but I would recommend that you share the information that we are about to tell you with only those that you truly think it is safe to discuss with," Porom told the group. Everyone simply nodded in response as they realized that what they were about to hear could be important.

"Well then, I guess the best place to start would be what our mission assignment was and our objective. Sis, would you mind taking the lead?" Palom said as he stretched. Porom simply nodded and got out a small recording device.

"This is a message from our former superior officer. In this, he explained what our mission was," Porom said as she pressed play on the device and set it down on the table. When the voice started to come out, Sunset instantly recognized the voice that emerged.

" _Ok you two, let me give an explanation of what this mission is about and your objective once you get to the location. The location you two going to is an abandoned base on the edge of Vale. The reason I'm sending you both to an abandoned base is because the people of Vale only think that it's abandoned. In reality, a few of our division's specialized scientists are using it to conduct some research on a special test subject._

 _Recently, we have managed to do something very impressive; we have managed to capture a Rabid Grimm. I understand that this might seem impossible, but we only managed to do it be managing to get its aura down and knocking it out. We decided to use this opportunity to study it and sent some our scientists to study what makes it have an Aura and how we can use that to our advantage._

 _Unfortunately, we believe that something has happened to them. Just over a week ago, we lost contact with the facility and now have started receiving a distress call from there. Your mission will be to find out what had happened there, find out if anyone is alive, and get anyone that is alive to safety. That is all, you two are dismissed._ "

After the recording stopped, Porom picked up the recorder from the table and put it away while everyone processed what they heard. "So, who was the person who gave you two this mission anyway?" Storm asked curiously.

"Actually, I think that Sunset can answer that question easily," Porom responded as she turned to Sunset.

"That is true, from what I saw when she first met Palom, Sunset used to be in the White Fang," Nova said as he moved away from Sunset. That comment by Nova made Nitro and Storm close their eyes as they started to think.

"In that case, why didn't you tell us about the fact that you were in the White Fang?" Storm asked curiously.

"Well, I was going to tell you at the right time, but I wasn't expecting to run into these two again," Sunset told her teammates.

"For me, I can see why you would be protective about that information," Nitro commented.

"So, all is forgiven in that case?" Sunset asked awkwardly. Nova, Storm, and Nitro all nodded yes in response and Sunset let out a sigh of relief.

"Back to the question at hand, do you recognize that voice?" Nova asked curiously. Sunset stayed silent as she remembered the person who that voice belonged to.

"That voice belongs to Adam Taurus, a very prominent commander of the White Fang," Sunset said as she remembered an encounter with him in the past.

"Wait, I recognize that name. Isn't he that very brutal one who wields a katana?" Nitro asked curiously.

"You got the description right on the nose," Palom said.

"I hate to be the one that interrupts, but shouldn't we continue with our explanation?" Porom interrupted.

"I agree with Porom. After all, you three should probably get going soon," Storm said in a tired tone.

"Ok, in that case, why don't you start off Palom?" Sunset responded.

"Well, for me there is not much too really talk about, since I was in a crate for at least an hour. However, I can say that it looks like there was someone there before me and Porom arrived," Palom explained.

"Wait, why would you say that?" Porom asked curiously.

"Well, when you and I went to go check separate areas in the facility, I found a computer room that I thought I heard noise coming from. When I entered, I found that the noise that I heard was coming from some destroyed computers," Palom explained.

"How destroyed are we talking about?" Nova asked.

"Well, it looked like someone made it their duty to destroy any evidence that there was anyone there and they weren't exactly subtle about it," Palom said.

"Let me guess; after you found that room, you were knocked out?" Storm questioned.

"That is exactly what happened," Palom told everyone.

"Ok, so I think that finishes up Palom's explanation. Porom, do you want to go over what you saw very quickly?" Sunset said.

"I think that would be for the best," Porom said in a shy tone. As Palom got ready to explain, Sunset felt her Scroll start to ring. She took it out and saw that Tempest was calling her.

"Um, I think you'll have to hold that explanation until we get to the Stellar Roast," Sunset said as she answered the call and walked to a more private area.

"Hey Sunset, are you ready yet?" Tempest asked over the phone.

"We're just getting ready, how about you all?" Sunset responded as she entered her (temporary) room.

"We're fine, I'm just taking some time to myself and I decided to call you," Tempest said in a happy tone.

"I appreciate the thought, but why did you choose to call me?" Sunset asked as she lay down on her bed. Tempest was eerily quiet on the other end, which worried Sunset a little bit. "Tempest, are you there?" Sunset asked in a worries tone.

"You felt it back then, didn't you?" Tempest asked in a creepy tone.

"Tempest, what are you talking about?" Sunset responded in a worried tone.

"That gauntlet of yours, I know what you have beneath it," Tempest told Sunset. When she heard that, she felt a pulse come from her left arm. After she felt that, Sunset came to a quick conclusion.

"You're not Tempest, are you?" Sunset asked in a slightly strained voice.

"You are as smart as he says," the voice said.

" _He?_ " Sunset thought.

"Very well, my name is Ace. We shall meet again, Miss Shimmer," Ace said as it fell silent. After a few moments of silence, Tempest came back on the Scroll.

"So, I take it you meet Ace?" Tempest asked in a more serious tone. As Tempest spoke, Sunset felt the pulse in her felt arm dissipate.

"Yes I did; would you like to explain what that was all about?" Sunset responded as she shook her arm.

"I would, but I think it would be better if it was somewhere more private," Tempest suggested. Sunset was about to retort until she heard a knock at her door.

"Sunset, are you ok?" Storm asked through the door.

"I'm fine, just finishing up with Tempest," Sunset told Storm.

"Well, Palom and Porom are ready to go, so they're waiting on you," Storm responded.

"I'll be right down," Sunset said. She then heard storm walk away and, after making a quick check to make sure the coast was clear, she continued her talk with Tempest. "I agree with what you said, somewhere more private," Sunset said.

"Ok, then we'll bring up this topic later. For now, let's meet up in front of Dust Haven and go from there," Tempest told Sunset.

"Got it, I'll see you later," Sunset said as she ended the call. After she ended the call, she left the room and went down stairs to see Palom and Porom waiting for her. "Sorry I took so long, Tempest talked a little longer than I would have liked," Sunset said as she rubbed the back of her head out of embarrassment.

"Its fine, we didn't mind waiting for you," Palom said in a laid back tone.

"Ok, then are we all ready to go?" Sunset asked the two.

"Of course we are," Palom and Porom said at the same time. Sunset laughed a little at that because she hadn't heard that in a long time.

"Anyway, we'll see you three later," Nitro said as he, Nova, and Storm waved goodbye.

"Of course you will," sunset said as she opened the door. With nothing else to add, Sunset Palom, and Porom left the house and headed to Dust Haven.

* * *

As Sunset, Palom, and Porom walked to Dust Haven, they decided to catch up on what they have been doing since they last saw each other. "I have to admit, I was not expecting to see you two so soon," Sunset said as she smiled.

"We could say the same thing about you, it's been at least a year and a half since we last heard from you," Palom said in a happy tone.

"Sorry, you know with that new rank of mine, I've hardly had any chance to make any social contact except with a few people," Sunset told the two.

"Oh, so the rumors were true then?" Porom asked curiously.

"There were rumors about my promotion?" Sunset asked curiously.

"Well, there were a few people who were talking about it. Some believed it and some didn't," Palom told Sunset.

"Huh, I think I know what camp you two were in," Sunset said with a slight smirk.

"You would be right in that regard. By the way, have you heard the rumor?" Porom said. Sunset was about to respond, but quickly stopped herself when she realized where she was.

"I haven't had any contact with _them_ recently, so I don't know the rumor that you're talking about," Sunset responded carefully. Palom and Porom were a bit confused until they realized why Sunset used the word "them".

"Oh, so do you want to talk about this later?" Palom suggested.

"I would appreciate that," Sunset said in a happy tone. The three were quiet for a little bit as they arrived at Dust Haven. When they arrived, Sunset noticed that Tempest and Buki were already there.

"Hey there you three, what took you so long?" Tempest asked.

"Well, Storm's house isn't exactly the closest to this place," Sunset responded with a smile.

"It doesn't also help that we kind of took my bike here," Buki said.

"Wait, you have a bike? Then why don't I see it anywhere?" Palom asked curiously as he looked around.

"My bike is actually one of these bikes that have built in AI, so I just told it to head back to Beacon once we got here," Buki explained.

"Wait, you actually have one of those?" Porom asked in an amazed tone.

"I do, I take it that you are impressed," Buki responded in a slightly proud tone.

"Of course I am, I've always wanted to own one of those," Porom said out excitement. As Porom talked to Buki about the bike; Tempest, Sunset, and Palom, walked away from that little conversation.

"Wow, I didn't think that she would be into motorcycles. I mean, the last time I saw her, she wasn't that willing to do anything too crazy," Sunset commented out of surprise.

"You can partly blame me for that. I took her on a ride on my personal bike and since then, she has been obsessed with them," Palom said with a smile on his face.

"You know; we should probably get them and start heading to the Stellar Roast," Tempest told the two.

"Your right," Sunset and Palom both said simultaneously. Sunset and Palom both walked forward to go get their attention with Tempest following behind them. As Tempest was walking, she couldn't shake the feeling that someone was watching them.

" _It might just be my own imagination, but with the way my life has been up to this point, it's better to be safe than sorry,_ " Tempest thought as she looked around the immediate area. After taking a quick look, Tempest didn't notice anything out of the ordinary.

"Hey Tempest, you ready yet?" Sunset called out, breaking Tempest's train of thought.

"I'm coming," Tempest said as she ran up to the group.

"Why were you just standing there?" Palom asked curiously.

"Well, to be honest; I felt that there was someone watching us, so I took a look around," Tempest explained.

"Wait, why would you think someone was watching us?" Porom questioned.

"They might have been looking for me, and trust me when I say that some people have been looking for me for quite a while," Tempest explained as she remembered what had happened a few years ago.

"Oh, well if you think someone is watching us then we should get a move on," Sunset said in a surprised tone.

"Right," the others responded. With that, they all headed to the Stellar Roast, following Buki's directions.

* * *

After a few minutes of walking and following Buki's directions, the group of five eventually arrived at the Stellar Roast. "So, this is the coffee shop that Ozpin wanted to meet us at?" Palom asked curiously. The Stellar was a small hole in the wall shop that had a few tables on the out outside of it.

"This is the place, and I do believe that it is him right over there," Buki said as she pointed to a table with someone sitting at it. When they looked to where Buki was pointing, they saw that Ozpin was sitting down and drinking some coffee.

"Wow, you found him fast," Porom said in an amazed tone.

"Well when you're becoming a huntress, you have to have a quick eye," Buki told Palom and Porom.

"Let's talk about this late and get this over with, I'm honestly feeling very tired," Sunset said as she rubbed her forehead.

"Agreed, it's been a long day for all of us," Tempest said as she did the same. Palom and Porom silently agreed while Buki just nodded and the five went over to the table Ozpin was sitting at.

"Ah, there you five are. I was beginning to wonder if you would show," Ozpin said as he put down the cup of coffee that he was drinking.

"Sorry, we kind of took a bit of time to rest. After all, we kind of did fight a Rabid Grimm," Sunset said as she took a seat.

"That is understandable, after all; I imagine it must have been pretty tough," Ozpin said calmly as the others, except Buki, sat down.

"We also did take the time to go over what information we had gathered," Tempest chimed in as she got out the USB that Shade gave her.

"Ah, well before we start talking about your mission debriefing, there are some people that I would like to introduce you four to," Ozpin said as he looked at Buki.

"Wait, why are you looking at me?" Buki asked in a slightly confused tone. Before anyone could respond, a voice came from a nearby alleyway.

"Come on Buki, I thought that you would have figured it out by now," the voice said in a friendly tone. As Sunset and Tempest stood up on reflex, Buki held a hand out to them as a motion to stop.

"Wait, they're my teammates," Buki said quickly.

"Oh right, you are a student at Beacon so it would make sense that you have a team," Sunset commented as she sat down and started to blush out of embarrassment.

"Hey, don't worry about it," Buki told Tempest and Sunset.

"Wow, I think that's the first time I've heard Buki care for someone," another voice chimed in.

"You know I can hurt you right?" Buki responded in a hostile tone.

"I hate to interrupt, but I think that we should hurry this along. After all, it is almost night time," Ozpin interrupted.

"He has a fair point, shall we reveal ourselves?" a third voice said. There was no response, but everyone at the table heard three sets of footsteps coming from the alleyway. When the three emerged from the alleyway, they saw that they were also Kamen Riders.

"So, you three are Buki's teammates?" Sunset asked as she looked at the three riders as they leaned against a nearby wall.

"Yes we are. You can all me Kamen Rider Arms, Arms for short" the center one in the red armor said as Buki joined her team.

"The name is Kamen Rider Neo Arms, but you can call me Neo Arms. Nice to meet you all," the left one in blue armor said with a slight bow.

"Nega Arms, Kamen Rider Nega Arms," the right one in grayish armor said with his arms crossed.

"Everyone, this is team HNSN" Ozpin said to the group he was debriefing before turning to the team leaning against a wall. "HNSN, if you could reveal your real selves?"

Kamen Riders Arms, Neo Arms, and Nega Arms started going for different parts of their respective belts. "Wait!" Buki said, stopping them. "Do you really want me to scare everyone here?"

"Oh yeah" Arms said. "[i]That[/i] thing." A shudder went down his body. "Neo Arms?"

Neo Arms appeared to be using a touchscreen only he could see and interact with. "We have a few minutes and an open road nearby."

Nega Arms sighed. "Let's get this over with."

All four Riders walked out into the middle of the street, Arms and Neo Arms switching out components of their Drivers.

 **"GHOST!"**

 **"GOKAIGER!"**

"What are they doing?" Tempest asked Ozpin.

"From what they've told me, they're saving us from weeks of fear and insomnia" Ozpin said as he sipped some coffee. "It's also something they do from time to time."

Arms slid the Arms Memory in his driver eight times, producing a Sunglasslasher, Gan Gan Catcher, two Gan Gan Sabers, two Gan Gan Hands, and two Deepslashers, all in a pile at his feet. He sat down and started putting weapons together, building something.

Neo Arms slid a small tab on the Gokaiger weapon key before turning it, producing five Gokai Guns, five Gokai Sabers, the Gokai Galleon Buster and the Gokai Spear, all held in a telekinetic field.

Buki pressed a lever on the left side of her belt, bringing forth a myriad of fruit-like weapons, some of which had duplicates. "Be gentle, please."

Nega Arms pulled a hidden gun barrel out of his scanner, attached it to the front of the large blade on the device, and pulled them off, giving him a big knife.

"What the, who has that many weapons?" Wind said.

"They do" Ozpin answered. "And they have so many more as well."

The first shots came from three of Buki's weapons. Specifically, three Sonic Arrows that were floating in front of her and fired an energy arrow at each of her opponents. All three hit, but did very little damage.

Neo Arms ran in first, trident in hand and firing the five handguns at Buki, a Melon Defender placing itself in front of the bullets. When he was close enough, he swung a bladed edge of the Gokai Spear at the shield, knocking it aside before sending the five Gokai Sabers in. He got a few slashes in before being slashed in the back by a Kagematsu.

Nega Arms pointed his left arm at some of the weapons and pressed a button on the scanner. After making a selection and sliding the bolt action on the scanner, he ran towards Buki, skillfully parrying three Daidaimaru at once with his knife. Once he was close enough to her, he hit the button again, sending a duplicate Gokai Spear right at her. Another Kagematsu deflected the attack, but Nega Arms caught the Gokai Spear.

While everyone was fighting, Arms was finishing up his weapon building. Using the Gan Gan Hands, Gan Gan Sabers, and Deepslashers, he had made two scythes. After making them, he joined them together into a dual scythe staff that was bigger than he was and joined the fray, Gan Gan Catcher and Sunglasslasher stowed on his back. His focus was on Buki, but he also wasn't worried about hitting Neo Arms or Nega Arms.

Of all those observing, only Ozpin wasn't dumbstruck. Even as various sounds of gunfire rang out from the nearby street, he casually watched the four fighting Kamen Riders. It quickly turned from three on one to a free for all with priority on one target: Buki.

"I guess they do this regularly?" Palom asked. "You don't seem too worried."

"They fight like this about once per month or whenever Buki needs to undo her change" Ozpin said. "There was even one time they raced around campus on their motorcycles and fought each other. The only damage was to one part of the courtyard, amazingly."

 **"GOKAIGER, FULL POWER!"**

 **"GAIM, OMEGA DRIVE!"**

Everyone's attention was focused on the fight when they heard those phrases. Neo Arms was holding the Gokai Spear in its gun form in one hand and the Gokai Galleon Buster in the other with the five Gokai Guns arrayed in between and the swords on standby behind him. Buki's weapons, being more melee oriented, charged in response as both sets or armaments glowed with power.

The two forces clashed against each other, though Buki's attack proved more effective since Neo Arms had no shields to defend himself with. After getting beaten and shot by all of the Gaim weapons that were not shields, he was knocked out of henshin himself and knocked back, landing right by the table everyone was gathered at. All his weapons also vanished.

After getting up and brushing himself off, the Rider went inside Stellar Roast and ordered a couple dozen glazed donuts.

 **"OBLITERATION!"**

Nega Arms held a Gokai Galleon Buster in one hand and the DJ Gun in the other. Once both were charged up, both were fired at Buki, knocking her across the street, her henshin cancelling out upon impact with a stone wall. The weapons she had available flew towards and surrounded her, ready to defend her and she walked across the street and sat down with the observers.

 **"ARMS, MAXIMUM DRIVE!"**

Arms' dual scythe blades let off a growing glow along their blades. Once the glow was at its brightest, he adjusted his grip down to one end of the weapon before throwing it at Nega Arms like a boomerang.

Nega Arms ducked out of the way just in time to avoid the oversized scytherang, but got hit by a powerful shot from a combined Gan Gan Catcher and Sunglasslasher rifle.

"I still stand" Nega Arms said as he stood up, producing a pair of Deepslashers of his own from his scanner just in time for the scythe boomerang to come back around and smack him in the back of his head, sending him forward and into a wide, arcing slash from Arms. Nega Arms was forced out of henshin when he hit the ground.

"Well, the fight's over" Ozpin said as Arms undid his henshin. "HNSN, please join us."

The four members of Team HNSN, now out of their armor and a little beaten up, scavenged some chairs and joined everyone. As they sat down, Sunset noticed that out of her armor Buki was someone familiar to her.

"Now that the fight is over with, how about we have the team introduce their real names?" Ozpin said in a calm tone.

"I don't have any objections to this. My name is Jack Honoh," Arms told the group.

"My name is Bryan Shadowmere," Neo Arms said as he ate a donut.

"Names' Chris Necrom, nice to meet you," Nega Arms said in a slightly irritated voice.

"My name is Jennifer Natsuki," Buki said in an oddly upbeat tone.

"Anyway, I take you didn't have us come here to makes us beat each other up," Jack asked Ozpin.

"You catch on quick Jack. The reason I called you three here is so that you can here is do that you can acknowledge what Tempest's and Sunset's teams have done," Ozpin explained to the other three.

"Ah, so we are witnesses of a sort?" Bryan asked curiously.

"That would be the correct assumption," Ozpin told the team.

"Well then, why don't we let them explain what happened at the facility?" Chris asked in a neutral tone. After taking a few minutes to introduce themselves and explain what had happened at the facility, Tempest leaving out what she saw in that hallway and surgery room, Ozpin decided to speak up.

"Well, it sounds like you two have had a rough day," Ozpin commented with a slight smile on his face.

"We know," Tempest and Sunset both said at the same time.

"Anyway, you said that the White Fang were able to pacify a Rabid Grimm. How were they able to do it exactly?" Chris asked curiously, seeming to be interested in the topic.

"That is what I'm still trying to figure out myself," Sunset said as she closed her eyes out of thought.

"Well, ever since I took down a Rabid Grimm on my own, I've actually been looking into what makes them have that aura," Jack told the group. Palom and Tempest, who were sitting close to him, both scooted their chairs over without a word being said.

"So, what did you find out?" Jennifer asked curiously.

"Well, I still don't know how exactly they make that aura of theirs, but there is something interesting that I learned. It's the fact that without that Aura, they become just like a normal Grimm," Jack explained.

"Well, that is obvious. How was that supposed to be of any help?" Chris asked in a serious tone.

"I think I understand what Jack is trying to say," Tempest quickly said.

"Really, you understood what he said? I find that hard to believe," Chris said in a slightly irritated tone.

"Hey Palom and Porom, from your time in the White Fang, could you tell me from your experience how strong Adam is or at the very least a guess?" Tempest asked ignoring Chris' comment. Chris looked extremely pissed and was going to say something until the importance of that statement clicked in his mind.

"Um, why do you want to know that?" Palom asked curiously.

"Because if he is strong enough to take on a Rabid Grimm alone or with some help, then we have out answer to our question," Jack finished for Tempest.

"Well, I would say he is very strong without a doubt, but we wouldn't know exactly how strong," Porom said nervously.

"He was able to take on a group of at least 25 Ursas on his own and emerged with little damage," Sunset said, interrupting the conversation. Everyone, except Palom and Porom, looked at Sunset with a questioning or surprised look on their face.

"How do you know that Sunset?" Jack asked curiously.

"Well, you remember how I told you all I was friends with these two? That's because I was in the White Fang," Sunset said in a low tone. Tempest was about to speak up, but Ozpin held out a hand to stop her as some civilians walked by.

"We'll talk about this more at a more private location, but for now I think as long as we have a way that the White Fang could have captured that Grimm, that is perfectly fine," Ozpin said in his usual calm and collected tone. No one said anything as Ozpin got up from his seat. "You all feel free to stay and talk, but I have to get going," Ozpin said as he started to walk away. As he was walking away, Tempest looked at everyone from HNSN.

"So, you all don't look like you're from Vale? Why don't you tell us about where you all come from?" Tempest asked curiously.

"Oh, well we all actually came from Atlas to enroll at Beacon. We didn't really like it that much over at Atlas, so we came over here," Buki explained.

"Really? What didn't you like about Atlas?" Porom asked curiously.

"Well, would you believe me if we said we were just bored of Atlas," Jack said in a more casual tone.

"To be honest, I believe that. There must be only so much to do up there," Tempest said.

"Well, it was a combination of that and the fact that Atlas' academy didn't seem like the best place for us," Jennifer chimed in.

"I've heard some stories from there, but I haven't been there myself so I'll take your word for it," Palom said as he thought about some rumors.

"Well, they are true for the most part and we kind of didn't want to deal with the school, so we all moved here," Chris said.

"Wow, you all really didn't like Atlas then if you decided to come all the way out here. It must have been expensive," Porom said in a slightly sad tone.

"Actually, Ozpin is the reason we were able to come to Vale in the first place. He saw some footage of our powers and was interested in them," Bryan explained.

"So, he gave you an offer, you accepted it, and the rest is history?" Tempest asked curiously.

"That is basically what had happened," Jack said.

"Well, it must have been a hell of a ride to get to where you four are now," Palom commented. As Palom said that, various streetlights came on as night started to come.

"Wow, it got late fast," Buki commented as she looked around.

"I'll say, it feels like only a few minutes have passed," Sunset commented.

"Anyway, we had better get going. After all, the four of us have to prepare for school to start up in about a week," Jack said as he got up from the chair.

"I guess that means that we'll see you all later then?" Tempest asked curiously.

"Of course you will, after all both you and Sunset are going to Beacon," Bryan said. After exchanging a few goodbyes, HNSN left the café and headed back to Beacon.

"So, where are we going to be staying?" Porom asked as she got up and stretched.

"You could stay with me, I have a house all to myself and there are a few spare bedrooms," Tempest told the twins.

"Really, you don't mind if the two of us, who are basically total strangers to you, stay at your house?" Palom asked in a curious tone.

"Well, you both don't look like the kind of people that could stab me in the back easily. I also can tell that Porom is very responsible, so I can trust in her to keep an eye on you," Tempest said.

"Hey, what's that supposed to mean?" Palom said as he blushed slightly. That earned a laugh from Sunset as she saw the exchange in front of her.

"I'm glad that you are helping my friends Tempest; I should also thank you and your teammates for helping us with the Grimm back at the facility," Sunset said in an appreciative tone.

"Hey, it's what friends do for each other," Tempest said as he walked up to Sunset.

"Wait, you consider me a friend?" Sunset asked out of slight shock.

"Of course, I know we only meet today, but I know you're someone who will watch my back. I'll be counting on you when we're at Beacon," Tempest said in a happy tone. Sunset was speech less about what Tempest had told her. "Well, I better be heading off and I recommend that you do the same," Tempest said as she walked past Sunset. Palom and Porom followed Tempest silently as Sunset just stood there.

" _She really does consider me a friend, doesn't she?_ " Sunset thought as she started to head back to Storm's house.


	9. Side Story 1

**Weapon Fan Meets Weapon Maker**

* * *

It was Thursday, and classes just ended. Jack Honoh figured that it was time to relax with a sketchpad and some pencils, but not in a normal place. No, he felt like getting some elevation, perhaps in a tree. No, not perhaps, but definitely in a tree. There was a tree near the spot in the courtyard that seemed to get destroyed at least a couple times per semester that looked perfect.

Upon reaching the tree, and making sure there was nothing to his left, Jack put on the Arms Driver and pulled out the Arms Memory, hitting the button on it as always.

 **"ARMS."**

"Henshin." Upon inserting the Memory, the sounds of blades sharpening and guns priming played on a loop. The loop didn't last long as he pulled the Memory to his right and allowed it to slide back to its centered position.

 **"ARMS."**

A blast of energy or something like it came out of the barrel, hit nothing but air for 15 feet, then turned back and formed on Jack, making him Kamen Rider Arms, once again. He set his supplies on the ground and pulled out a weapon magazine, which he put in the Driver with well practiced motions.

 **"GOGO V!"**

Once the magazine was in, he slid the Arms memory two more times.

 **"FIVE LASER. CLAW ANCHOR."**

The weapons appeared in Arms' hands, and he contemplated them for a bit. "This set always messes with me" he idly commented to nobody as he moved the Laser Grip to the Claw Anchor and set the Laser's barrel on top of the grappling claw. After recollecting his supplies, he fired up into the tree, catching a branch that was both high up and around the middle of the tree. He held on as the line took him up, unaware of the silver eyes that were watching him.

After about a minute of going up and weaving through branches, he reached the one he had anchored to first. After getting some solid footing, he detached the hook and fired up to a higher branch and repeated the process. When he got up to the branch, he found that, while sturdy, it was also rather thin. Fortunately, there were some thicker ones a few feet below it, four of which looked oddly smooth.

 _"Am I not the only one to have come up here?"_ he wondered before deciding it didn't matter and sat down on one of the smoother branches. Years of students coming up and sitting on the branches, along with a few sanding tools, had made some comfortable spots to sit in. As he prepared his drawing materials, he idly thought, _"This would make a great sniping nest."_ What he didn't see were the letters SNPR and NEST carved in the opposite side of the trunk.

The sketchbook he had was one of many dedicated to a single weapon set. This one was for the Zyuranger set. On the first page were all the weapons from the set, in full color. After that was the natural combination of five of the unique weapons, a five barreled crossbow gun.

Beyond that were numerous combinations of weapons he had come up with, such as a pair of tonfa made from the Saber Daggers, Trice-Lance, and two Ranger Sticks. Some of the combinations had been used before, but more were just conceptual combinations that hadn't been used. The Gun City Police Department was a great place for him to have worked in.

Arms was in the middle of designing a set of weapon armor when a gunshot rang out. Looking in the direction he heard it from, all he saw was the tree's foliage. Clearly, he would have to stand up in order to see what was going on, but he was comfortable and his supplies were on his lap, keeping him from getting up.

 _"I wish I had a camera drone"_ he thought. _"I think I've got one designed in the new copy of the third Fourze sketchbook. Come to think of it, why didn't I just use the Winch Module?"_

A few more shots rang out, each one getting louder. Either the rounds were being fired in ascending order of volume or someone was using recoil to fly up, which sounded ridiculous. Flying via recoil was impractical at best and a hopeless endeavor at worst, as far as he knew. It was much easier to put a shield or something like one down and ride an explosion.

A few seconds after the fourth gunshot, which came from somewhere behind him, the tree shook a bit, like someone landed on it.

"Um, hi?" a voice that Arms recognized as belonging to Ruby Rose timidly said.

"Hello, Ruby" Arms casually replied without diverting attention from his sketch. "What brings you up here?"

"Oh, I saw you come up here, and I thought I'd join you. The Sniper Nest has a great view, doesn't it?"

"I've had paper view the whole time I've been up here." Jack smirked under the Arms visage.

"What? How did you get a tv up here? How can you even afford pay per view? Or a TV?"

Arms flipped through some of his previous Zyuranger work, stopping at a giant axe he made once and holding it over his shoulder for Ruby. "Take a very close look at this to find out. And I mean really close."

Ruby took the sketchbook and admired the sketch before looking really closely at it. Arms took the opportunity to put some of his pencils away and stand up. "See what I mean yet?"

"No, but I love this axe. I can see a bow, a sword, daggers, a staff, a different dagger, and a smaller axe in it."

"So you like the paper view? Or am I drawing this out too much?"

Ruby was quiet for a moment before facebooking, the pun sinking in. "Are you sure you're Jack and not Yang under that armor?" She handed the sketchbook back to Arms.

"Last I checked, yes."

"That sounded like one of my sister's puns. But now I have one that she hasn't used! I think."

"That's great. So, why did you decide to join me up here?"

Ruby went back to her more timid voice. "Well, you have access to, like, every kind of weapon in the history of ever, even if they look kind of odd, and you can make even more things with them. You even made a grappling hook earlier out of a gun and claw weapon, and it was just so cool! I've also seen you put weapons on your armor in interesting ways, like putting parts of a giant sword on you as extra armor, and I love that ability of yours, and I just want to see everything you can do. So, can I see all your weapons?"

Arms took a second to process what he heard into its individual words, since Ruby's speed and pitch went up as she went on about the weapons. "Tomorrow after classes end."

"Oh come on! Not even one set?" Ruby whined.

"Nope. Today, I draw. Also, the grapple gun is not an original build. I had to put the grip on it for it to even work. Putting the barrel on top was simply because it was a convenient spot.

"Anyways, could you let me draw?"

"Oh, alright. But we are meeting up after classes end tomorrow, right?"

"Sure."

"Yes!" Ruby jumped out of the tree, using Crescent Rose to adjust her fall direction towards the dorms.

 _"I think I'll draw a sniper rifle and scythe today."_ And with the thought done, he flipped to a blank page and started sketching out the ideas.

* * *

Ruby made her way to her team's dorm with more pep in her step than she knew what to do with. Maybe she could give some to Weiss or Blake. Or maybe Jaune.

Ruby rounded the last corner to her dorm's hallway and lost her pep when she hit something solid and metal, causing her to fall backwards. "Hello, neighbor" a familiar voice said.

"Jennifer?" Ruby said as she got back up, seeing it was indeed her. "What's with the giant bullseye target?"

"Take it to your room, set it at the foot of Blake's bed facing the window, and have the window open. It will make sense within the hour."

"But it's only a couple minutes until Four."

"It will make sense within the next hour." Jennifer put the target in Ruby's hands, a slightly comical sight since the target was almost as big as she was. She turned around and walked back to her dorm, opening Team RWBY's door along the way.

Ruby could barely stand up with the target in her hands. A moment after Jennifer went into her dorm, Yang popped her head out of her dorm to see who had opened their door. She didn't see anyone, but she did see Ruby with the target.

"Ruby!" Yang said. "You know we're not supposed to bring those targets in here."

"Help me, sis!" Ruby practically squeaked out. "This is getting heavy."

Yang noticed Ruby was shaking like a leaf and rushed out, relieving her of the target with ease. "You know what, now that I think about it, how did you get this target up here? There's no way you could have carried this up the stairs yourself."

Ruby leaned against the wall. "Jennifer gave it to me a minute ago."

"Then how would she have gotten it up here?" Yang wondered.

"I don't know. She told me to set it up in our dorm, but didn't say why."

"Huh. Now I want to know why too. Let's get this set up."

Yang and Ruby went in the dorm, Yang having no problem carrying the target. With Ruby's guidance, she set the target up facing the window, which Ruby opened up. Blake and Weiss asked what was going on, and Ruby explained what happened. Then they all went to do their homework.

* * *

After finishing the sketches to his satisfaction, which took about 45 minutes, Arms decided to build one of the weapons. Considering where he was, the sniper rifle seemed appropriate. As soon as he pulled the Gogo V magazine out of the Arms Driver, the Claw Anchor and Five Laser disappeared. He put it away and pulled out another magazine, which was immediately put in the Driver.

 **"ZYURANGER!"**

A pull on the Arms Memory came a second later.

 **"MOTHBREAKER!"**

Arms caught the axe and held it by the gun grip built into the head, then pulled again.

 **"TRICE-LANCE!"**

Once again, the weapon was caught. Arms pulled the bladed ends off the staff and put one end of it in the Mothbreaker's barrel, giving him the extra barrel length he needed for a sniper rifle. The blades were themselves split in half, then all four halves were joined together and put on the end on the barrel in a flattened X, giving the gun yet another extension.

 **"RYUUGEKIKEN!"**

The red hilted sword was set on top of the forming rifle. Arms pulled the handle off and split it into two long halves, which he attached to the underside of the barrel as a bipod.

 **"PTERA ARROW!"**

Arms removed the string from the bow and attached it to the side of the gun. It made a good, if rather thin carrying strap, which he hadn't included in the original sketch. The rest of the bow got folded up and attached as the rifle's stock.

 **"SABER DAGGER!"**

Arms rubbed the bottom of each dagger's handle with his thumb until a lens was revealed. A quick experiment confirmed that his dual section scope worked. Where one looked, the other would show what it saw. The one that looked out was set between the Trice-Lance blades, and the eyepiece was set on the Ryuugekiken.

Arms admired the rifle he had made. By no means did it look like a normal sniper rifle, but then again, when did any of his custom built weapons look normal?

Just as he finished admiring the rifle, Arms' scroll rang with a text alert. He saw it was from Jennifer. It read "You have a target in RWBY's dorm. Hit it". With a shrug, Arms put the scroll away and sought out his target. He didn't have to look for long, since RWBY's dorm curtains and window were open, allowing him to see both the shiny target and the book boosted bunk bed Blake and Yang built. Badly. They could at least have used outdated textbooks instead of what looked like fantasy titles.

Focusing back in, he saw the target. As he'd done before back in Gun City, he lined up his crosshairs, didn't bother accounting for sway, wind, or drop (since those never affected his shots for whatever reason), and fired a single shot.

* * *

Team RWBY was gathered around a strategy assignment, sitting on the floor behind the target, which they had quickly gotten used to being there. The assignment played out more like a game, and the teacher for that class was an avid tabletop game player. He had numerous awards from tournaments for such games on the classroom wall.

With no forewarning, the metal target shattered and a scorch mark appeared in the middle of their map. Team RWBY quickly scattered to their dorm's corners by their lower bunks, out of sight from the window. Ruby and Weiss kept still and quiet by their beds while Yang found herself stroking Blake's hair to keep both herself and her teammate calm.

Jennifer casually strode into their dorm and looked at the metal fragments and the map RWBY was using, seemingly unaware of the danger they perceived her to be in. She appeared to be reading something in the destruction, then moved some triangular fragments onto the map, drawing on some of them with a permanent marker as well. Once she was done, she left a folded piece of paper on the scorched map. When she was apparently satisfied, she closed the window and curtains, and simply left.

Ruby picked up the paper and read it. "That is what Jack can do with a bunch of melee weapons and a bow. Also, I did your assignment for you. You're welcome."


	10. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8: A Start to a School Year**

Two weeks had passed since their mission together and Sunset was currently getting ready to go to Beacon. "Wow, these past two weeks have sure gone by fast," Sunset said to Storm as they got ready to head to Beacon.

"I know, it really feels like it's only been a few days," Storm responded as she got her Scroll and put it away.

"Oh, I should mention that Ozpin sent me a message telling us about our team name," Sunset commented as she put split her twin sword into a pair of dual blades and put them on her waist.

"Really? What did he decide to call us?" Storm asked as she grabbed her elbow blades and put them on her waist.

"Well, let me ask you a question before I tell you. Is it normal for a team not to be named after a color or something similar?" Sunset responded.

"Ah, I see you noticed that about most teams. Well, while it is the standard for teams to be named after a color or something similar, there are times where that is not the case," Storm explained.

"That does make sense to me, especially since I've heard a lot of people actually debating whether some team names are based off a color or not," Sunset said.

"Trust me; you don't know the half of it. Anyway, I can guess that our team name is different than normal?" Storm asked.

"You guess correctly; out team name is SNST," Sunset told Storm.

"Ok, now what about our team name?" Storm responded. Sunset was about to respond until she realized the joke.

"Oh, ha ha ha, very funny," Sunset said in a slightly annoyed tone.

"Hey, can't blame a girl for trying to be funny," Storm responded.

"Well, it's not that I'm mad, I actually thought that it was actually pretty good, but Palom makes a lot of jokes about my name and it gets tiring after a while," Sunset told Storm in a kind tone.

"I completely understand that and as a friend I should warn you that Nitro is kind of the one who cracks a lot of jokes," Storm told Sunset.

"Thanks for the heads up, I have a feeling that I'm going need that information in the future," Sunset said as she sighed.

"Hey, at least try to have a smile on your face. Today is our first day at Beacon," Storm said happily. Sunset stayed silent before a smile appeared on her face.

"Your right, I really should be happy on a day like this," Sunset said in a more upbeat tone.

"There you go," Storm said. Sunset smiled at that and then thought of something that she was curious about.

"Hey, I have a quick question. Do we just head to Beacon when we are ready?" Sunset asked.

"Of course, it honestly isn't that far from town so a lot of people just walk there," Storm told Sunset.

"Then why does it have dorms if a lot of people can just walk from their house?" Sunset questioned.

"Well, I image that it is a bit of a hassle to walk there every day, so a lot of people choose to stay there," Storm explained.

"Well, what are you going to do considering you own a house?" Sunset asked curiously.

"I already have a plan for that, I'm renting it out to someone," Storm said.

"I'm not going to question your decision, after all it's your house," Sunset said as she grabbed her backpack.

"You ready to go?" Storm asked.

"I am, how about you?" Sunset responded.

"I'm ready, I just need to wait for the people who are renting the house to come," Storm told Sunset.

"So, should I wait with you for the people to arrive?" Sunset asked.

"No, it's fine. Besides, you have to head to Beacon ahead of time," Storm said.

"If you're sure, then I'll see you later," Sunset said as she headed to the door.

"Ok, I'll see you at Beacon," Storm said. Sunset opened the door and exited the house. As she left the house and started to walk towards Beacon, she noticed that Palom and Porom were waving at her. Sunset smiled and walked over to her friends.

"Hey Sunset, you ready to start at Beacon?" Palom questioned.

"Of course, though I am a bit nervous," Sunset told Palom.

"Well, me and my brother have a bit of news that might make you a bit calmer," Porom said with a smile.

"Well, you're going to have to give me a pretty good reason to make me calm," Sunset said with a bit of doubt in her voice.

"Well, would saying that the both of us got jobs at Beacon be a good reason?" Porom responded. Sunset simply responded with a look of shock.

"Both of you got jobs at Beacon?!" Sunset asked out of surprise.

"Yes we did, Ozpin actually came up to us today and offered us a job helping out at Beacon," Palom explained with a big smile on his face.

"I'm happy for the both of you, but where are you going to stay?" Sunset asked.

"Well, we are going to be staying at Storm's house for the semester," Palom told Sunset.

"That explains, why she said she was renting it," Sunset thought to herself.

"Anyway, we better get going. We have to meet with her soon," Palom said.

"Ok, then in that case, I'll see you two later," Sunset said. With that, Palom and Porom headed to Storm's house while Sunset walked to Beacon.

* * *

After about 20 minutes of walking, Sunset arrived near the entrance of Beacon. As she was about to approach, she heard a motorcycle pull up beside her. When she looked over, she saw Tempest just riding up next to her and stopped. "Hey Sunset, you on the way to Beacon?" Tempest asked as she took off her helmet.

"I am, you riding to Beacon?" Sunset responded.

"Well, I actually was until I saw you. Do you mind if I ride along side you?" Tempest said.

"I don't mind, I would actually prefer the company," Sunset told Tempest. Tempest simply nodded as she slowly rode alongside Sunset.

"So, how has your day been so far?" Tempest asked over the low sound of the engine.

"It's been good, anything happen to you recently?" Sunset responded.

"Well, I've rented out my house to someone. I imagine that Storm did the same?" Tempest told Twilight.

"Palom and Porom told me they actually the ones who rented Storm's house," sunset commented, remembering her earlier conversation.

"Really, I'm happy for them," Tempest said in a happy tone. The two then had a moment of awkward silence as they thought of things to talk about. "Hey Sunset, why did you know so much about him?" Tempest asked, breaking the silence.

"About who?" Sunset responded.

"I figured know that, but I guess I shouldn't argue with your Sunset," Tempest said as she stopped her bike. Sunset then immediately breathed a sigh of relief before Tempest spoke again. "Or perhaps I should call you General Flare of the High Council," Tempest said in a calm tone. Sunset then quickly grabbed one of the blades from her waist, which Tempest assumed was another form of her weapon, and pointed it at Tempest.

"How did you know that?" Sunset said in a very aggressive tone.

"Now now; I was just saying that because I knew you were in the High Counsel," Tempest said calmly. Sunset was about to respond when she remembered where they were and put her weapon back on her waist.

"We'll talk about this later," Sunset said in a very annoyed tone before walking off towards Beacon. Tempest stayed silent as she followed Sunset, a small smile forming on Tempest's face. After a few minutes of walking/riding, the two were at the entrance of Beacon. As they approached, they saw Ozpin standing by the main entrance.

"Ah, there you two are," Ozpin said as they approached.

"You were waiting for us?" Sunset said in a calmer tone.

"I was, because I wanted to tell you both something," Ozpin told the two.

"What did you want to tell us?" Tempest asked as she got off her bike and turned it off.

"Well, a few things in fact. First off, I wanted to tell you Tempest that we actually have a place where you can keep your bike here on the grounds and I'll be happy to take it over there," Ozpin told Tempest.

"Really? Thank you headmaster, I would appreciate it if you did." Tempest said.

"It's not a problem; I just wanted to let you know. The second thing I wanted to let you both know is that we had a bit of an issue involving each of your team's respective rooms," Ozpin said.

"Let me guess, there wasn't enough rooms available?" Sunset guessed.

"Exactly, so, I've decided to give you both a shared room that we have for situations like this. I take you both are ok with this?" Ozpin explained. Tempest and Sunset looked at each other before silently coming to an agreement.

"We don't have any problems with that at all Mr. Ozpin," Sunset said.

"Ok, then here a copy of the key to your room for each of you," Ozpin said as he gave them both a key.

"Ok, so I imagine that you have one last thing to tell us about?" Tempest asked as she put her key away.

"Of course, and that would be to introduce you to your tour guides," Ozpin said.

"Tour guides?" Sunset and Tempest responded at the same time.

"Yes, I figured that since both of you just now attending Beacon, I would give you and your teams a tour of the place myself. Unfortunately, something came up and I had to get you two students who were here last semester to show you around," Ozpin explained.

"Sorry, I'm late; I had a bit of trouble with my team," Ruby told Ozpin, panting from the running she did.

"Its fine Miss Rose, I completely understand. Anyway, I believe you know why I called you here?" Ozpin said.

"Yes, you wanted me to walk the leaders of two new teams around the school," Ruby responded.

"I'm glad that you remembered that. Well, I would like you to meet the leaders, whom I believe that you have meet before," Ozpin said, a slight smile forming on his face. Ruby took a look at the two girls and immediately smiled.

"Hey, you were the ones I saw last week right?" Ruby asked with a smile on her face.

"That is right; though I don't think that we introduced ourselves to you that day," Tempest said in a cheerful tone.

"I don't think either of you did introduce yourselves, but I guess we can use today to do that," Ruby said in a similar tone to Tempest's.

"Well then, now that I've seen that Ruby got here, I must be off," Ozpin said as he got Tempest bike and walked off. Ruby, Sunset and Tempest all waved goodbye to Ozpin as he walked off.

"You know, Ozpin seems like a dependable headmaster," Sunset commented.

"I can agree with that, although no one can quite tell what is going on in that mind of his. It's like he has his own plan and isn't telling it to anyone," Ruby responded.

"Anyway, I believe I'll start with the introductions. You can call me Tempest," Tempest told Ruby.

"Sunset Shimmer, but you can call me Sunset," Sunset said, a small smile forming on her face.

"Nice to meet you both," Ruby said.

"So, you want to take us on that tour Ozpin was telling us about?" Tempest questioned.

"Of course," Ruby said with a smile before turning around and walking towards Beacon. Sunset and Tempest simply followed Ruby without another word said between the two of them.

* * *

After about an hour of walking around Beacon; Ruby, Sunset, and Tempest arrived at the fountain plaza at the back of the school. "So, this is the last place you wanted to show us?" Tempest asked as she looked around.

"Yep, this is actually where a lot of students come to relax when the school day is over or whenever they have free time," Ruby explained. As Sunset and Tempest looked around, the noticed a group of four students talking amongst each other.

"Hey Ruby, do you know those students?" Sunset asked, motioning in the direction of the students. As Ruby looked at the group, a big smile appeared on her face.

"Of course I do, they're actually good friends of mine. Come on, I want you to meet them," Ruby said as she walked ahead of them. Tempest walked forward to join Ruby, but was stopped by Sunset.

"We need to talk," Sunset told Tempest in a serious tone.

"Still a bit mad about that comment from earlier? Well don't worry, we will a chance to talk. But before we talk, I want you to think about this. How would I know about the High Council?" Tempest responded before going ahead to join Ruby. Sunset just stood there for a moment before taking note of the last sentence that Tempest said and went off to join Ruby and Tempest.

"Hey Ruby, you showing two new students around?" one of the students asked.

"Yep, these are Sunset and Tempest. Sunset and Tempest, I would like you to meet team JNPR," Ruby responded, Sunset and Tempest waving hello at the students.

"Well, nice to meet you both, my name is Pyrrha Nikos," Pyrrha said in a kind tone.

"Jaune Arc, it's nice to meet you all," Jaune said nervously.

"My name is Lie Ren, it is a pleasure," Ren said in his calm tone.

"Hey, where did Nora go?" Ruby asked noticing the energetic girl was missing.

"Did somebody call for me?" Nora responded from between Sunset and Tempest. The two girls just looked at each other silently before stepping away from Nora.

"Is she always like this?" Sunset asked Ren curiously.

"You learn to deal with it," Ren said in a neutral tone. Sunset then heard a noise and looked over to see Nora looking at Tempest.

"Hey, it may seem rude, but do you mind if I ask a private question?" Nora asked in an energetic tone.

"Um, I don't mind, but if it's private can we go a bit away?" Tempest responded nervously.

"Sure," Nora said before grabbing Tempest's arm and dragging her a bit away from the others.

"So, you and her are starting to come here today?" Jaune asked Sunset.

"We are, but we're not in the same team. We're actually leaders to each of our own teams," Sunset responded.

"That's interesting; normally when people enter, they're usually put in a team together. However, I'm guessing that you two impressed Ozpin a lot," Pyrrha commented.

"Well, I'm not sure what Tempest did to impress Ozpin, but all I know is that Ozpin saw potential in me and wanted me to attend," Sunset told Pyrrha.

"Hey, that's just like me!" Ruby exclaimed happily.

"Hey Sunset, I hate to be the one to interrupt, but what is that gauntlet of yours for?" Ren asked, pointing to the gauntlet on Sunset's right arm. Sunset went silent as she thought of a good answer. "If it's something private, you don't have to answer. However, if I may ask, can you show it to us?" Ren told Sunset.

"I don't mind showing it," Sunset said as she lifted the gauntlet. The gauntlet itself looked more like an arm guard that went from Sunset's wrist to her elbow with a red glove covering her hand. The gauntlet was gold in color with small indent in the middle that had Sunset's Scroll in it.

"Wow; that gauntlet seems really cool. Does it have to do with your weapon?" Ruby asked a sort of sparkle appearing in her eye.

"I actually did use it when learning how to use my weapon and have kept it on ever since," Sunset told Ruby.

"I'm going to guess that you didn't know how to fight at first, so you used that gauntlet as a learning tool?" Pyrrha questioned.

"You guessed that correctly, how did you know that?" Sunset responded.

"Well, I will admit that I had to undergo something similar," Pyrrha said, a smile appearing on her face. Sunset was about to ask more until she saw Nora and Tempest coming back.

"We're back," Nora said in a very energetic tone.

"Hey, we we're just talking to Sunset for a bit. What did you two talk about?" Ren responded.

"Well, to be completely honest, I would rather keep that private," Tempest said as she rubbed the back of her head awkwardly. Everyone else just nodded in understanding to what Tempest said.

"Well, it was nice talking to you, but Tempest and I have to go see if our respective teammates are here," Sunset said.

"Oh, that's right. We kind of did completely forget about them," Tempest said, remembering that they didn't wait for their teammates.

"I'll come with, I need to see how my team is doing," Ruby commented.

"Ok then, I guess we'll see you later," Jaune said. With that, Ruby, Sunset, and Tempest said good-bye to team JNPR and headed back into the school.

"You know, I'm curious who your teammates are Ruby," Sunset commented.

"Do you want to go meet them?" Ruby asked in a happy tone.

"Sure, I'm curious as to who they are as well," Tempest commented while Sunset nodded in agreement.

"Awesome, just follow me," Ruby said before heading into the school quickly. Sunset and Tempest followed soon after while Tempest had a thought in her head.

"If the teammate that Nora was talking about is who I think it is, then I promise that I'll take care of them," Tempest thought.

* * *

After following Ruby for a few minutes, the three of them arrived at the dorms. "So, this is where your team is staying?" Sunset asked.

"Yep, if you two can wait out here, then I can see who is here at the moment," Ruby said as she grabbed the handle.

"I don't mind waiting, what about you Sunset?" Tempest responded.

"I'm in a similar mindset," Sunset said.

"Great, I'll be right back," Ruby said before opening the door, heading inside the room, and closing the door behind her.

"So, what type of people do you think will be on Ruby's team?" Sunset asked Tempest.

"I don't know, but I have a feeling that I know what their team is called," Tempest told Sunset.

"I think I might know as well, but I would suggest that we let Ruby tell us," Sunset responded. After she said that, Tempest immediately remembered something and moved slightly away from Sunset. "Did I do something wrong?" Sunset asked curiously.

"No, but I need to write a note in private," Tempest said as she got out a piece of paper and a pencil. Sunset just nodded as Tempest wrote down what she needed to. As Tempest was writing, Sunset notice a group of three people walking down the hallway away from them.

" _Must be more new students,_ " Sunset thought. As they turned the corner, she caught a glimpse of one of their faces and her breath caught in her thought. " _What is she doing here?_ " Sunset thought as the three students disappeared around the corner.

"Ok, I'm done writing the note," Tempest said, breaking Sunset out of her trance. Sunset just nodded as the door opened.

"So, only one of my teammates is here, but I still want to introduce you," Ruby said in a slightly disappointed tone. Sunset and Tempest then walked to the open door and entered the room. When they entered the room, they saw a teenage girl in a white dress and knee high boots sitting on one of the beds.

"Are there the two you wanted to introduce to me?" the girl asked.

"Yep, I'm sorry about bothering you, but I only did it because they asked," Ruby said in an apologetic tone.

"It's fine, not like I was doing anything anyway," the girl said before getting up off the bed. When Tempest saw the girl's face, she instantly remembered a picture that her father had sent her.

" _So, this is how she looks like now,_ " Tempest thought to herself.

"Well then, my name is Weiss Schnee, a pleasure to meet you both," Weiss said politely, bowing slightly.

"A pleasure to meet you Weiss, my name is Sunset Shimmer and my friend here is Tempest," Sunset introduced, noticing that Tempest was a little out of it.

"I see your friend is a bit of a thinker," Weiss commented. Sunset just responded by nudging Tempest and that seemed to break her out of her trance

"Sorry about that, but I just wanted to ask something. You're the heiress to the Schnee Dust Company right?" Tempest asked curiously.

"That is correct, I see that you've heard of me," Weiss said, a small smile forming on her face. As Weiss said that, Sunset simply looked at Ruby and sly motioned towards the door, which Ruby understood.

"Of course I have, I honestly like what your company does," Tempest said in a happy tone.

"Really? Well do you mind if we talk by ourselves in that case?" Weiss asked Tempest.

"I don't mind at all," Tempest said before walking over to Weiss.

"Me and Ruby will be outside if you need us," Sunset said, a bit annoyed at Tempest being a very quick talker.

"Ok," Tempest simply said. Sunset and Ruby then left the room, leaving Tempest and Weiss alone. After they got outside, Ruby and Sunset just leaned agains a nearby wall.

"So, do you want to tell me a little about your team while we wait?" Sunset asked in a slightly awkward tone.

"I don't mind, what do you want to hear first?" Ruby responded. Sunset thought about that for a moment and she came up with a good one to talk about first.

"Well, why don't you tell me about your other two teammates? Speaking of which, where are they?" Sunset told Ruby.

"From what Weiss told me, they are helping Ozpin with showing students around like I did with you two," Ruby explained.

"I guess that makes sense, now what did you all do to have Ozpin do that to you?" Sunset asked innocently. Ruby just blushed a little at that comment.

"How did you figure it out?" Ruby responded.

"While I have a feeling that you would agree to do this, something just tells me that is not the case," Sunset told Ruby.

"Well, you guessed correctly. Me and my team kind of had a big food fight this morning and Ozpin had us guiding students around as a punishment," Ruby admitted, a blush of embarrassment on her face.

"Wow, I didn't think it would be something like that," Sunset said, a smile on her face as she thought of that scenario.

"Tell me about it," Ruby said.

"So, what about the names of your other teammates?" Sunset asked.

"Right, I guess I should tell you about them. Well, I guess I should start with my older sister, Yang Xiao Long," Ruby said.

"Sister?" Sunset said in a skeptic tone.

"Well, more accurately half-sisters," Ruby told Sunset.

"You know what, I'm just going to leave it there because I don't want to bring up anything family related at the moment," Sunset said. Ruby just smiled and nodded, though Sunset noted that Ruby seemed a little glum at the mention of family. "Better ask Yang about that later," Sunset noted mentally.

"Anyway, I shouldn't need to say much about Yang, other than she is kind of a very strong puncher and try not to get her mad," Ruby commented.

"Don't piss her off, got it," Sunset said.

"Our last member is Blake Belladonna," Ruby said. As soon as Ruby said that name, Sunset's mind couldn't believe what she had just said.

"Blake Belladonna, you said?" Sunset asked slowly.

"That's tight, why do you ask?" Ruby responded.

"Well, does this Blake happen to be a cat Faunus?" Sunset asked

"She is, so you two know each other?" Ruby told Sunset.

"I guess you could say that," Sunset said, remembering a time when she was on a mission with Blake and Adam.

"Hey, I just noticed that you're a Faunus," Ruby said out of surprise. Sunset kind of just looked at Ruby when she said that.

"Really? You didn't notice the ears and tail?" Sunset asked out of shock.

"I'm going to be honest, until I got a good look at you; I didn't see them at all," Ruby commented. Sunset just sighed at that and just let it slide.

"So, I'm going to guess that your team name is RWBY," Sunset commented.

"Right on the nose," Ruby said, touching her own nose. Sunset smiled at that little display and thought of something.

"Hey, you wouldn't happen to know if a person named Mercury is attending Beacon would you?" Sunset asked awkwardly. Ruby thought about that for a moment before responding.

"I think I remember a Weiss telling me about her leading a boy named Mercury earlier. Why do you ask?" Ruby responded.

"He's a friend of mine and I want to surprise him," Sunset said.

"Oh, that's a good thing for you to do," Ruby said as the door to the room opened and Tempest walked out.

"You two are finished?" Sunset asked.

"Yep, we just finished up," Tempest said as she walked next to Sunset. Sunset looked at Tempest quickly and then back at Ruby and Weiss.

"So, I guess we'll see you both later?" Sunset asked awkwardly.

"We definitely will, but if you ever want to meet up, let me know," Ruby said.

"How would we do that?" Tempest asked.

"Well, me or Weiss could give you our Scroll information," Ruby commented, Weiss blushing a little at that comment.

"Is something wrong Weiss?" Sunset asked, noticing her blush. Weiss just stayed silent and looked at the ground.

"Well, I might have already given Tempest my information," Weiss replied quietly. Tempest was then confused about why Weiss was embarrassed before realizing it herself and blushing a lot.

"Oh, so did you talk about interesting stuff?" Ruby asked.

"What do you mean by that?!" Tempest and Weiss responded in unison. Sunset just smiled at that while Tempest and Weiss just blush just grew more.

"I'm just asking what you talked about," Ruby said innocently.

" _She is such an innocent mind,_ " Sunset thought, looking at Ruby.

"Well, Sunset and I had better get going. We have to find our teams after all," Tempest said quickly, obviously not wanting to make the conversation last longer.

"Ok, see you both later," Ruby said in an upbeat tone before she and Weiss headed back into the room.

"They seem nice," Sunset commented as she and Tempest walked down the hallway to their rooms.

"I can tell," Tempest said quietly.

"Just so you know, I won't judge if you tell me you're a lesbian," Sunset whispered. Tempest just blushed at that comment as they walked down the hall in silence. After a while, they saw their teammates in front of a set of two doors.

"There you two are, I was wondering if you two were even here," Storm said.

"When did you all get here?" Tempest asked happily, the blush on her face a lot less noticeable.

"We all actually got to Beacon around the same time and we were given a tour around the school by two girls," Wind began to explain.

"They were very nice and happy to lead some new students around," Phaze continued.

"Eventually, they showed us to the dorms and even showed us to this door, though I'm not sure why," Nova finished

"Well, I guess before we continue on, I should comment that all of us are going to share a room," Sunset told the group. The all just stayed silent as the thought about to respond to that until the click of a lock broke that silence.

"The key worked," Tempest said as she opened the double doors. When the doors opened, they revealed a very big room that was the size of about three regular door rooms and had a second floor. On the right wall of the ground floor were four beds with a few storage chests next to each of them. There was also a gaming area in the far right corner, a dining area with kitchen in the left corner, a living area with a TV and a few couches along the left wall, a big window along the back wall, and a spiral staircase in the center of the room. Everyone went into the room and was amazed by the architecture.

"Hey Tempest, are you sure this is the right room?" Sunset asked as she looked around the room.

"I'm sure it is because I looked at the room name on the door and it's the same one we have on our keys," Tempest told Sunset. Sunset looked at the door and saw that it read 'Special Room 01', which was the same as on her copy of the room key.

"Well, I can see that Ozpin has us spoiled," Sunset said.

"I noticed. So, what do you think of this place?" Tempest asked.

"In all honesty, I think it's perfect for us," Sunset told Tempest, a big smile on her face. Tempest was about to say something else when Shade came up to them.

"So, I just checked out the second floor and it has four normal beds along with a futon," Shade told the two. Sunset thought about that and then looked at Tempest.

"So, I imagine your team will be upstairs and my team will be downstairs?" Sunset questioned.

"For right now, let's not worry about that. I just want to get settled in and rest for right now," Tempest told Sunset. Sunset was about to say something in response, but suddenly felt a wave of exhaustion.

"You know what, I think that would be good," Sunset said. Tempest smiled and patted her on the back.

"Later on, we talk about that thing we talked about earlier before we got here," Tempest told Sunset. Sunset just looked at Tempest as she realized what she was referring to. "For now, let's got settled in," Tempest told Sunset before walking away with Shade. Sunset just stood there as she went to a bed and sat on it.

" _Something tells me that this is going to be a very interesting year,_ " Sunset thought as she decided to get settled in.


	11. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9: A Reunion of Allies**

It has been a few days since the new semester for Beacon and SNST was slowly getting used to their new accommodations. At the moment, Sunset was just looking in the mirror and wondering about the uniform that they were given as she got ready for the school day. "Why do they make us wear a uniform again?" Sunset asked Nova as she looked at herself in the mirror.

"You know how the academies are; they just do this because of regulations. I will admit though that I actually like this uniform as well." Nova told Sunset as he finished putting on his own uniform.

"It's not that I don't like the uniform. I just wish I could do something about this skirt." Sunset said as she tugged at the back of her skirt.

"What's wrong with it if you don't mind me asking?" Nova inquired. In response to that question, Sunset pointed at her tail which looked like it was being a bit restrained. "Oh right, I imagine that would be uncomfortable." Nova said.

"It is uncomfortable; the only reason I'm not bothered by it when I'm sitting down is because I'm know what to do with it." Sunset explained as she adjusted the skirt.

"Well, why don't you ask Ozpin about either modifying your current uniforms or getting some custom made ones?" Nova questioned.

"I already did, but he hasn't said anything yet." Sunset told Nova as she turned to face him. After Sunset said that, there was a knock on the door.

"I'll get it." they heard Tempest say as she came down the stairs.

"I thought you left to eat breakfast with your team already Tempest." Sunset said when she saw her.

"I was supposed to go, but I kind of overslept." Tempest said as she opened the door. When she opened the door, she was surprised to see Ozpin on the other side. "Headmaster Ozpin, what are you doing here?" Tempest asked out of surprise as she let Ozpin into the room.

"Hello, there Tempest. I just stopped by to see if I could talk to you about something." Ozpin said as he walked into the room.

"Is it something that you would rather talk to me about alone?" Tempest questioned as she looked at Sunset and Nova. Sunset and Nova just nodded as they got their stuff and got ready to leave.

"Actually, do you mind if I tell Sunset something first?" Ozpin responded.

"I don't mind." Tempest said. Ozpin simply smiled before taking out a piece of paper and walking over to Sunset.

"Sunset, I am happy to inform you that your new uniforms will be handled by one of the new part time workers." Ozpin told Sunset.

"Really? I didn't think that someone would help me that fast. I only asked you about this yesterday." Sunset said.

"Well, there is only one thing that they asked you to do and that would be to meet them on the place written on this piece of paper." Ozpin said before handing the paper to Ozpin.

"Ok, I'll head over there after I eat breakfast."Sunset said as she put the piece of paper away.

"Actually, I would advise you three head to the food court and get something to eat from there rather than go to the cafeteria." Ozpin commented.

"Why?" Nova questioned in a confused tone.

"To be honest, I think something is going to happen but I'm not sure what." Ozpin explained. The three students all just looked at each other before just shrugging it off and listening to what their headmaster said. As Sunset and Nova left the room to give Tempest her privacy, Sunset noticed two holes in the back of Tempest's uniform that a small part of her back. The holes didn't seem that odd to Sunset, but what bothered her was the spacing between the two holes.

"Is something bothering you Sunset?" Nova asked as they walked through the hallway.

"There is something bothering me, but it might just be nothing." Sunset assured Nova, hiding her thought. Nova stayed silent for a moment before smiling and thinking nothing more of it. " _If only you knew what I was thinking Nova, then you would be surprised._ " Sunset thought as they continued walking down the hall.

* * *

After getting some food at the food court and finding a table to sit down at, Sunset and Nova started to talk a little while waiting for the others. "So, where is the place you're going to go after we eat?" Nova asked Sunset.

"Well, I'm going to the library to meet someone who will take me to the place I'm going to meet the person." Sunset said before taking a bite of her sandwich. Nova just nodded in response and proceeded to eat his food as some students started to come in. After about a minute, Storm and Nitro arrived with some food and sat down with Sunset and Nova.

"Hey there you two, what took you both so long?" Nova asked the two.

"Well, we kind of were the last in line at the cafeteria. Not only that, but they ran out of food before we got here." Storm said, before she let out a sigh.

"Thankfully, they told us that we could come here for food." Nitro said.

"So, I guess that explains why Ozpin told us to come here." Sunset whispered to Nova.

"Somehow I get the feeling that's not the only reason." Nova commented.

"Anyway, how have both of your days been?" Storm asked as she ate something.

"My morning has been going good so far and Sunset here is actually going to get her uniforms fixed." Nova said, earning a quick glare from Sunset.

"Really? I imagine that you're getting them refitted for your tail?" Nitro asked.

"That's correct actually." Sunset said.

"I'm surprised that they didn't take care of that issue before you came in." Storm commented.

"Well, they probably didn't have the time because I just got in before school started. I'm also pretty sure that they've never had to deal with a tailed Faunus before." Sunset said.

"You know, that is probably true." Storm commented as she thought about things she asked some of the students.

"So, what did you two do while you were waiting in line?" Nova asked.

"Well, since we had a lot of time while we were waiting, we did learn a few things about Beacon. The one big thing that we kept hearing about are how good the team known as RWBY is." Nitro said.

"I've heard a little about them, but exactly did they do that made them so famous?" Nova asked.

"Apparently, they took down one of Roman Torchwick's operations last semester." Sunset said as she recalling hearing that story from Storm.

"Wow, and they were a new team?" Nova questioned.

"That would be correct." Storm said. Nova stayed silent after that as he let that information sink in.

"As much as I would like to continue talking to you all, I have to get going." Sunset said as she got up from the table.

"You're taking off already? What time did it say on the note that you would meet up?" Storm asked.

"They said at about 12:00, but I want to go get a few things done." Sunset said.

"Ok, have a good time Sunset." Nova said as Sunset walked away from the table. After Sunset walked out of the food hall, she got out the piece of paper and unfolded it.

" _Sorry about this everyone, but this is one secret that I can't let you three know just yet_." Sunset thought as she looked at the black piece of paper. When she was alone, she held the paper up to the sun and read the message that now appeared on the paper.

" _If this is you Flare, then meet me in the second floor of the library after lunch. From E._ "

" _If that E is who I think it is, then I have some questions to ask._ " Sunset thought before she headed off to her morning classes.

* * *

The rest of the morning had gone by uneventfully, with the classes and lunch going by smoothly .After Sunset arrived at the library; she was impressed by the look of it. The library was two floors, had several bookshelves with some on the walls, plenty of chairs, couches and tables to sit at, and several computers to use. " _Ok, I got to hand it to Ozpin, he know how to make a library. I know where I might be during my free time._ " Sunset thought as she walked up the stairs to the second floor.

When she got to the second floor, she looked around and saw a very familiar girl sitting at one of the tables. Sunset simply smiled and walked over to that table. When she got close enough, she coughed just loud enough for the girl to hear. The girl turned around and immediately smiled when she saw Sunset.

"It really is you." the girl said before she got up from her seat.

"Yes it is, it's good to see you again Emerald." Sunset said as she hugged her old friend.

"I could say the same to you Sunset; it's been almost a year since we last spoke." Emerald commented happily as she accepted the hug.

"Well, I kind of have been busy with that _job_ of mine." Sunset said, making sure to enunciate on the word job. When Emerald heard that, she instantly nodded and understood what Sunset was talking about.

"As much as I would love to talk here, how about we go somewhere a little more private to talk?" Emerald suggested as she stopped hugging Sunset.

"Agreed." Sunset said. After they had that exchange, the two of them headed down to the first floor of the library. As they were walking down the stairs, Sunset felt her right arm sting a bit. Keeping quiet about it, the two exited the library and went out into the hall.

"So, how have you been doing?" Emerald asked.

"I've been doing very well. Other than a battle with a Rabid Ursa, everything went smoothly." Sunset told Emerald.

"A Rabid Ursa? Where did you fight that?" Emerald asked. Sunset was about to respond, but stopped and quickly looked around. "Is something the matter?" Emerald asked when she saw what Sunset was doing.

"It was at location V1CF3." Sunset told Emerald. To any normal person, that would sound like a random thing to say, but Emerald understood what it meant. "Does she know about it yet?" Sunset asked seriously.

"No, and this is the first time I've heard about this as well." Emerald said, a tone of shock in her voice.

"Shall we go tell her if she's here?" Sunset asked. Emerald quickly nodded in response and she started to head to the dorms with Sunset following her.

* * *

After walking back to the dorms, Emerald lead Sunset to the room 'F- 106'. "This is the room you're staying in?" Sunset asked Emerald.

"It is, so I want to let Cinder and Mercury know that you're here." Emerald said as she knocked on the door. Sunset simply nodded and leaned against the wall. After a few seconds, the door opened and Mercury poked his head out.

"Oh, it's just you Emerald. What are you doing back so soon?" Mercury asked curiously. Emerald simply moved her head towards the direction that Sunset was in. When Mercury looked at Sunset, who just waved at him, Mercury nodded. "Yeah, that's pretty important." Mercury said.

"What is it Mercury?" Cinder asked from in the room.

"Well, someone is here to see you Cinder." Mercury said as Emerald walked into the room.

"Who would that be?" Cinder questioned in an annoyed tone. In response for that, Sunset walked into the doorway and turned to Cinder.

"Hey Cinder." Sunset said simply. When Cinder saw Sunset, she smiled and got up off the bed.

"Hello Sunset, it's nice to see you again." Cinder said as she walked over to her. The two stayed silent for a moment before Mercury coughed.

"Well, Emerald and I are going to leave you two alone." Mercury said before he left the room. Emerald did the same and followed him, closing the door as she left.

"They never change do they?" Sunset asked when they left the room.

"Nope." Cinder said before she hugged Sunset. Sunset simply returned Cinder's hug and smiled as she did. "You know, you could have sent me something or called." Cinder said in a playful tone.

"Hey, I'm busy being a leader of an army and working 24/7." Sunset responded.

"You didn't see me complain when I was training you." Cinder retorted. Sunset then laughed at that comment and just looked down.

"That's so true as well. It's good to see you again mom." Sunset said happily.

"Same here, daughter of mine." Cinder said happily. Before either of them could say something, Sunset felt her right arm have a sudden flare of pain. "Is it acting up again?" Cinder asked Sunset.

"It is and I don't really have the medicine on me." Sunset said as she held her gauntlet. Cinder went quiet for a moment as she thought of what to do.

"Take off the gauntlet. I want to try something." Cinder said calmly. When she heard what her mother told her to do, Sunset instantly started to panic.

"If I take it off, you know what would happen." Sunset said in a slightly panicked voice.

"It won't happen; I will not let it happen again. Besides, I know that you can hold it back." Cinder told Sunset. Sunset remained motionless for a moment before she used her left hand to press a button on her gauntlet. When she did that, there was a small click that signified that the gauntlet was no longer locked.

"I hope you know what you're doing mom." Sunset said. Cinder simply nodded in response as Sunset took off the gauntlet. When the gauntlet came off her arm, there was a very large spike in pain for Sunset. Her forearm was completely black in color compared to her skin's normal tone with bright red arms going up it. Cinder quickly reached out to Sunset's arm and took hold of it.

"I knew that it was hurting you, but I didn't think it would be this bad." Cinder said as she started to chant words under her breath. After a few seconds of chanting, the black and red part of Sunset's arm started to recede towards her hand and the pain went away. In place of the black arm, where was a red circle on the back of Sunset's hand. "Do you feel better?" Cinder asked kindly.

"I feel much better. What did you do to it?" Sunset asked as she rubbed her arm.

"I simply suppressed its power to the point where you'll be able to control fairly well." Cinder told her daughter.

"That's amazing, but I imagine that I won't have complete control." Sunset commented.

"Well, that a bit complicated. The best way to think of your current control is via your pain." Cinder said. At that point, Sunset looked a bit confused. "To better explain, that circle does allow you to control the power inside of you. It isn't perfect because when there is too much power built up, it will begin to leak out." Cinder started to explain.

"And when there is excess power, my arm will start going back to the way it was before and I'll feel pain?" Sunset questioned.

"That's right. There isn't much I can do about the excess power, but what I can recommend is to go somewhere remote and go wild until the power is drained." Cinder told Sunset.

"Not the best solution, but it'll work for now." Sunset said as she put the gauntlet back on and locked it in place.

"It's the best I could do at the moment." Cinder said.

"I appreciate it as well. Where did you learn to do that by the way?" Sunset asked curiously. Cinder stayed quiet as she thought about what to say.

"Well, I did some teaching under… _her_." Cinder told Sunset, making sure to emphasize the last part of the sentence. Sunset went wide eyed when she heard that sentence and stood up.

"You actually took her up on that offer?" Sunset asked.

"I did, but only because she promised to teach me things that could help you." Cinder told Sunset. Sunset stayed silent for a moment as she let that sink in.

"I don't want to hurt anyone else." Sunset said as she started to cry.

"I know you don't after what happened back then." Cinder said. Sunset then sat down as she thought of that day

"I don't want to become a monster again." Sunset said as she remembered that day. Before she could remember much, Cinder gave Sunset a hug.

"Listen to me Sunset, no matter what happens, just remember that you'll always have your friends and family by your side." Cinder told Sunset. Sunset responded by hugging her mother and kept on crying.

"Thank you mom, I really appreciate it." Sunset said in an appreciative tone. Cinder simply smiled as her daughter continued to cry. After a few minutes, Sunset calmed down and stopped crying.

"Now, do you mind if I ask you a question?" Cinder asked.

"I don't mind." Sunset said hoarsely.

"When did you take last take a dose of medicine?" Cinder questioned.

"I took it a little over two weeks ago. Why do you ask?" Sunset responded.

"It's because that medicine should be good for about two months. The only ways that time could have lessened is via a draining fight or being around one of the marked ones." Cinder explained. Sunset thought about what Cinder said and remembered something.

"Before I forget, I should tell you about an incident that happened at V1CF3." Sunset said a hint of nervousness in her voice.

"An incident you say?" Cinder said curiously. Sunset then proceeded to tell Cinder about what had happened at the location and the debriefing they had after. After finishing her story, Cider was quiet as she thought about what happened. "I was wondering what was going on, but I didn't know that had happened." Cinder said in an annoyed tone.

"Did you know about what had happened?" Sunset asked.

"I didn't know what had happened myself, but I could hazard a few guesses. To think that the facility was destroyed by a Rabid Ursa that they managed to capture." Cinder said.

"Do you have any clue as to what Adam meant when he wanted to use the Rabid Grimm's Aura for the White Fang's gain?" Sunset questioned.

"I don't know what he meant by that, but I could see why they would be so keen on researching the Aura." Cinder told Sunset.

"If you don't mind me asking, what are you talking about?" Sunset asked.

"Well, as you know, the Rabid Grimm are very powerful versions of Grimm. The Aura they have is one of the things that makes them so tough. My guess is that the White Fang would want to figure out how their Aura works and make better armor and weapons that utilize something similar to it." Cinder told Sunset. Sunset stayed silent for a moment as she thought about that. "Speaking of the White Fang, what happened to you?" Cinder asked.

"What do you mean?" Sunset asked.

"You should know exactly what I mean; you've been gone for about three weeks and not said anything to the High Council." Cinder said. Sunset went quiet as she thought about what to say.

"Well, I was actually trying to figure out who stole the weapon from one of our bases in Mistral." Sunset told Cinder.

"You mean _that_ weapon?" Cinder asked.

"Yes, I mean that weapon. I wouldn't worry too much about it though; I chased him here to Vale and got it back from him." Sunset told Cinder.

"That's good, but why didn't you contact me or any of the other High Council members?" Cinder asked.

"Would you believe me if I said that I wanted to infiltrate the school to see if I could contact you?" Sunset said. Cinder stayed silent for a moment before she realized something.

"That's right; I did tell you about this plan." Cinder said when she realized what Sunset meant.

"I also wanted to be careful because of what happened to Roman a few months ago." Sunset told Cinder.

"That makes a bit more sense and I honestly don't blame you, but could have at least sent me a message to make sure you were ok." Cinder said, punching Sunset's arm lightly. Sunset simply smiled in understanding before nodding. "Now, I take it that you haven't blown your cover correct?" Cinder asked. Sunset was about to say something, but quickly stopped when she remembered something.

"Um… there might be a bit of an issue there." Sunset said awkwardly as she thought about how to explain that.

"What happened?" Cinder sighed.

"You see, one of the people that I was with on that mission knows that I'm on the High Council." Sunset said.

"They know what?!" Cinder exclaimed.

"As for who that person is, it's the leader of the other team I was with." Sunset continued.

"Her name was Tempest correct?" Cinder asked calmly. Sunset nodded in response to that question, unsure how to answer. "Well, have you told her to keep quiet?" Cinder questioned.

"She promised to keep it quiet, but that's not the part that has me worried." Sunset said.

"What do you mean by that?" Cinder asked. Before Sunset could give an answer, she heard her Scroll ring. She grabbed it and saw that Tempest was calling her. Sunset simply showed the Scroll to Cinder and waited for a response. "Answer it." Cinder said simply. Sunset nodded and answered the call.

"Hello?" Sunset asked, unsure if she was doing the right thing.

"Hey Sunset, how are you?" Tempest asked joyfully.

"I'm doing well, how about you?" Sunset responded.

"I'm fine, just finishing up a little talk with someone." Tempest said. Sunset simply nodded and decided to say something.

"So, what did you want to talk about?" Sunset asked, wanting to get straight to the point.

"Well, I wanted to talk about _that_ matter I brought up a few days ago." Tempest said. Sunset took a quick look at Cinder to see if she was listening and saw that she was sitting right next to her.

"Ok, but do we have to talk about this now?" Sunset questioned.

"No, but that's why I was going to ask if we could meet up in two days." Tempest offered. Sunset was about to say something but was quickly stopped when she felt Cinder touch her shoulder. When she turned, she saw Cinder just nodding and understood what she meant.

"I don't mind, but if it's alright with you, I want a friend of mine to tag along." Sunset said.

"That is perfectly fine with me. I'll see you and your friend in two days." Tempest responded.

"Ok, where do you want to meet up?" Sunset questioned.

"Just in front of the school." Tempest responded.

"Got it, see you then." Sunset said before she hung up. After she hang up, Sunset just look at Cinder with a face of confusion. "Why did you want me to accept the offer?" Sunset asked.

"Well, I want to see what kind of person this Tempest is for myself." Cinder told Sunset, a small smile appearing on her face.

"If you're completely sure, but I would recommend that you are cautious. She knows who I am and is more than likely to know who you are." Sunset told Cinder.

"My biggest question will be if she is going to be an ally or an enemy." Cinder commented.

"She will be an ally; I'm going to make sure of it." Sunset said a s she got up off the bed.

"Just one last thing I wanted to ask." Cinder said as Sunset got up.

"What would that be?" Sunset inquired.

"You said that there was something about Tempest that had you worried; what would that be?" Cinder asked. Sunset stayed silent for a moment as she thought of what to say. "If you don't want to tell me, you don't have to." Cinder said.

"It's dine, I feel like you should know anyway." Sunset said. Cinder simply nodded and waited for Sunset to tell her what she wanted to. "The day of that mission debriefing when I called to make sure Tempest was ready, something weird happened." Sunset began.

"Weird in what way?" Cinder questioned.

"Well, the best way to explain it would be like a split personality. It was almost like a hostile voice on the other end, completely different from her usual cherry tone." Sunset said. Cinder stayed quiet as she thought about that for a moment.

"Have you ever taken the possibility that it might be something else?" Cinder asked.

"Well, what else could it be other than a split personality?" Sunset said in a huff.  
Cinder stayed quiet as she thought about various possibilities.

"You make a fair point." Cinder said eventually.

"Ok, so as a precaution, just make sure to be ready for anything." Sunset told Cinder. Cinder simply nodded in response to that.

"You've become a good leader." Cinder said kindly, a smile forming on her lips. Sunset simply blushed at that and hugged Cinder.

"Love you mom." Sunset said.

"I love you too Sunny." Cinder said as Sunset got out of the hug and walked towards the door.

"I'll see you later, maybe over lunch tomorrow?" Sunset asked.

"That would be a good idea." Cinder said.

"Ok, I'll see you tomorrow then." Sunset said as she left the room. After Sunset left the room, Cinder was left to her own thoughts.

"If what Sunset said is true, then I should be ready for anything." Cinder said to herself as she sat on the bed. As she did that, she closed her eyes and sighed. When she opened them again, instead of their usual amber color, they were a deep red color instead.

"After all, I can sense the coming of a big reunion." Cinder said in a menacing tone before thinking about what she is going to do when they meet up..


	12. Chapter 10

So, I figure before we start, I should get a few things out of the way.

\- First off, I'm sorry for the long wait between the last chapter and this chapter, a lot of stuff happened and I've been feeling out of it lately.

\- Second off, This chapter is going to be split into two parts, the first of which is this chapter.

\- Third off, the fight in this chapter is meant to showcase how Sunset fights, I'll get more into the rest of the team later.

\- Finally, I'm not saying anything about the things that happen with Phaze and the person at the end of the chapter. It would spoil the surprise later.

Anyway, enjoy the chapter.

[hl]

 **Chapter 10: Training & A Meeting of Equals (Part 1)**

Two days had passed since Sunset meet up with Cinder and she was not in a good mood about the information she knew. At the moment, Sunset in the simulation room getting ready to run a simulation of some Beowolf Grimm to let out her anger on. The simulation room was a room where other students could run against Grimm in various types of challenges, which is why most students call the simulations 'VR Missions'. "Might as well do it anyway. I haven't had a chance to really try out my Solar Dividers in an actual fight." Sunset thought as she set up the simulation.

"You know, it isn't safe to run something like this by yourself." she heard Ozpin say from the doorway. Sunset sighed as she mentally tried to think of an excuse. "That being said, I had a feeling that you would try something like this." Ozpin said as he walked into the simulation room.

"Why is that Headmaster?" Sunset asked in an obviously irritated tone.

"There are several reasons that I could say, one of which is your mood at the moment. However, I'm more looking to address the main ones that has been on my mind." Ozpin said as he reached the console that Sunset was at. Sunset thought for a moment about what he could be talking about and thought of a few things.

"What are you wanting to discuss?" Sunset asked curiously.

"Tell me, what is your relationship with Cinder Fall?" Ozpin asked calmly. Sunset then simply sighed as she looked down and was about to make up a lie when she assumed something.

"How long have you know about me and Cinder?" Sunset asked in a tired voice.

"Let's just say that I have people who can let me in on certain information." Ozpin said before he took a sip of coffee. Sunset was going to ask more but just decided to let it go an more onto another topic.

"So, what do you want since you know my identity?" Sunset asked.

"All I ask is that you try to not cause too much trouble if people know who you are." Ozpin told Sunset. Sunset then just looked at Ozpin with a somewhat confused look.

"That's it? No information about the White Fang or it's command structure? No tips to any potential operations? Just to stay out of trouble?" Sunset asked. Ozpin stayed silent for a moment as he eyed the golden gauntlet on Sunset's right arm.

"Just one thing for my own knowledge. Where did you get that gauntlet of yours?" Sunset asked. Sunset then looked at the gauntlet and brought her right arm up.

"I'm going to be honest, I actually don't know where this thing came from." Sunset told Ozpin. Ozpin then looked at Sunset skeptically as if he didn't believe her. "I'm telling the truth. Although I've had this thing for the past two years, I don't know where it comes from or even how I got it." Sunset said as she put her arm down.

"Very well, seeing as you aren't in position to be lying to me, I'll believe you. Now then, shouldn't you be starting up the simulation?" Ozpin told Sunset.

"You're going to watch how I fight?" Sunset asked.

"I always like to see how my students fight, be it in the field or a simulation." Ozpin said as he took a seat in a nearby chair. Sunset simply nodded as she hit a few keys and started up the simulation before using the nearby door to enter the main simulation room. After Sunset entered a robotic voice echoed in the room.

"Please stand in the center of the room to begin." the voice said. Sunset did as the voice said and stood in the center of the large room. As she waited for the simulation to start up, she took a look over her weapons. The Solar Dividers were a pair of twin blades with red tinted blades, the red coming from the fire dust that she made the blades from, and a half-protector on the front of each one that had half of her cutie mark, or as the people of Remnant know them, Symbols. At that moment, Sunset gave a small grin.

"It's been a while since I've battled seriously." Sunset thought as the simulation loaded in the forest clearing she had chosen as the stage. After a few moments, the voice came back and spoke once more.

"Simulation Start! Time Limit 4 Minutes!"

When the voice said that, Sunset immediately heard rustling from her right and rolled forward to avoid a Beowolf Grimm that lunged at her. Sunset then looked around and saw several Beowolfs surrounding her. There was no movement for a few seconds before a few of the Beowolfs charged at her. Thinking quickly Sunset ran forward to one of the charging ones and slashed at it with one of her swords. When the sword made contact with the Beowolf, a small amount of fire came from the wound which didn't seem to bother it much.

Sunset then rolled to the side to quickly avoid the claw swipe of the Beowolf and snapped her fingers as she did so. The small fire from the cut the suddenly exploded which made a hold in the Beowolf that killed it. Sunset the quickly tossed one of the swords at another charging Beowolf which it impaled and killed. She then quickly jumped up in the air and landed behind two other Beowolfs near the one that she had impaled. The two Beowolfs then decided to attack her, but Sunset managed to avoid their attacks.

She then quickly made a pulling motion with the left hand, which made a faint rope of fire appear. The rope the pulled the other Solar Divider, which was on the ground since the Grimm had disappeared, to Sunset. Sunset then used an opening to cut one on the Beowolfs in half and jumped up to grab her other blade before landing. Sunset then blocked one of the Grimm's claws with one of her blades before turning around and making an X on his chest. Nothing happened for a moment before fire erupted from the wounds, killing the Beowolf.  
Sunset then turned back to see about 5 other Beowolfs behind her.

" _Might as well use the secondary mode to my weapon. It's good to use my dual swords again, but I know that I can rely on the secondary mode of my weapon._ " Sunset thought before smiling. Sunset then quickly combined the two swords at the hilts where it became one dual sword. Sunset then ran forward with her blade in hand and threw it at one of the Grimm, the dame string of fire from before being attached to the handle of the blade. Sunset swung the blade at one of the Beowolfs, slicing it clean in two before the blade started to come back to her. However, one of the Grimm cut the string of fire and cause the Solar Divider to be embedded in a tree guarded by a few of the Beowolfs. Before Sunset could react, she felt a claw scratch her and knock her back as one of the Beowolfs hit her very hard.

Sunset's body rolled onto the ground behind her before stopping with her face to the ground. As she got up, she smiled to the Grimm in front of her before laughing out loud. "It's been a while since I had an actual fight." Sunset said as one of the Beowolf charged at her. The Beowolf was then knocked back with some burned off fur. The Beowolfs turned back and saw Sunset with a flaming fist out stretched. "Now then, I think it's time you learn why I got the nickname Solar Flare." Sunset said as her fist turned back to normal and she ran at the Beowolfs.

The Beowolfs did the same and the one that Sunset had attacked was leading them. Sunset simply responded by sliding under the claw swipe and using her Semblance to deliver a flaming kick to its stomach. The Beowolf staggered back and two more jumped onto Sunset, pining her to the ground. The clone then exploded and sent the two Beowolfs away with chard fur under them. The real Sunset, who had made it a few feet away from the clone, was currently running towards her sword with the remaining two Beowolf after her. Thinking quickly, she channeled some fire into one of the boots and formed a spell circle under it. " _Hope this works_." Sunset thought as she stopped and turned around.

One of the two Beowolfs took a chance and charged forward to get a hit on her. Sunset then jumped in the air and kicked the Beowolf in the face with the spell circle. A small explosion came from the kick which propelled her towards the sword and killed the Beowolf she kicked. Sunset then rolled as she landed next to her sword, which she quickly grabbed. Seeing the remaining Beowolf still a fair distance away, she used her semblance to conjure a flaming string between the two tips of her sword. She then drew back on her newly formed bow and conjured an arrow made of fire. She let the string go and the flaming arrow flew right in between the eyes of the Beowolf, killing it.

"Well, that just leaves those three." Sunset said to herself as she turned to face the three remaining Beowolfs. Just as she was about to charge, a voice came up again.

"One minute remaining!"

After she heard that, Sunset chuckled a bit to herself. "Well then, guess I should end this quickly." Sunset said as she charged forward with her sword in one hand. Sunset immediately conjured a fireball in her other hand and launched it forward towards the Grimm. The three Beowolfs tried to dodge, but Sunset snapped her fingers and created a ring of fire around the three, trapping them in an area. The fireball impacted with one of the Beowolfs, engulfing it in fire and severely burning. Sunset jumped over the wall of fire and fired several arrows down at the Beowolfs, not hitting any of them but able to graze them a lot.

As soon as Sunset landed, she instantly put her sword in the ground, closed her eyes, and began to chant something as a Glyph appeared underneath her. "Oh winds of flame, I summon thee to burn my enemies and absorb them into your flaming abyss!" Sunset chanted. After she finished the chant, a tornado of flames surrounded the area. The tornado sent winds of fire towards the Beowolfs, which prevented them from moving. Sunset then opened her eyes to reveal them both being lit a blaze before taking her weapon from the ground. The weapon was then immediately engulfed in fire, extending both ends of the twin sword.

"Phoenix End!"

Sunset then spun around and sliced all the Beowolfs in half with her extended Solar Divider. The tornado was also cut in half and dissipated, leaving dancing embers around Sunset as the simulation ended.

"Simulation Clear!"

After the simulation speaker said that, Sunset separated her weapon and put it on two sheaths she was wearing on her back. She then walked to the exit and opened it to see Ozpin relaxing in one of the observation chairs. "so, what did you think?" Sunset asked. Ozpin was silent for a moment as he thought about what he saw.

"I must admit, I had high hopes for your fighting prowess. However, that is beyond my expectations." Ozpin told Sunset. That made Sunset smile a little as she knew how hard it was to get Ozpin's attention on something combat related. "If I may ask thought, what exactly is your semblance?" Ozpin asked curiously. Sunset immediately sighed as she thought of the best way to explain this when she heard her Scroll vibrate.

"Do you mind?" Sunset questioned. Ozpin simply gestured for her to go ahead and she picked up her Scroll. When she looked at it, she saw that she had a message from Tempest.

" _Hey Sunset, sorry about the last minute notice, but I need to change the meeting location. I would like you to meet me at the coordinates listed below instead of in front of the school. Again sorry about this. Tempest._ "

Below the message, was a set of coordinated that she recognized immediately. "Do you have somewhere to be?" Ozpin asked curiously.

"Um, yes I do. I would like to talk to you about my abilities another time though." Sunset said as she gathered up her things.

"Very well, but I would actually like for you to relay a message to Tempest for me." Ozpin requested. Sunset was rushing to get out of there, but stopped when she heard Tempest's name.

"I'll tell her, what is it?" Sunset asked, a hint of curiosity in her voice.

"Just that me and the General would like to meet her after lunch in my office." Ozpin said before her got up off the chair and left the room. Sunset stood there for a moment before she just sighed and left the room.

* * *

As Sunset walked down the hallway, she thought about a few things. " _That was very close, I did not want to talk with Ozpin right now. I need to think of a convincing story to give him before I'm able to. Still, it may prove useful to tell him some things._ " Sunset thought. After a moment, her train of thought was broken as she felt an overwhelming sensation overcome her, making her lean against a wall.

"Wh-What is the feeling?" Sunset questioned to herself. Almost as if it felt her distress, the sensation left almost as fast it came in. When Sunset felt it was good to stand upright, she did and felt nothing abnormal about her body. " _That feeling, it felt just like the one on that day._ " Sunset thought as she remembered that day. She remembered the little things, but there was one thing above all else that she remembered. The feeling of being trapped in an endless circle of death.

"Sunset, are you ok?" a voice asked, breaking Sunset's train of thought. Sunset turned around and saw Phaze standing right behind her.

"Oh Phaze, I'm all right. I just thought I felt something." Sunset lied, trying to hide her distress.

"Really, what did you feel?" Phaze questioned. Sunset sighed and massaged her head, knowing she wouldn't be getting out of this situation.

"Well, if I would have to describe the feeling, it felt like a burning sensation." Sunset described, telling part of the truth about what she had felt.

"A burning sensation?" Phaze asked. Sunset then decided to not hide anything and explain everything in full to her.

"Have you heard about the mythical Phoenix?" Sunset asked. Phaze went quiet for a moment as she thought about the question..

"I might have heard about the creature before, but I could use a refresher the basics." Phaze said.

"Well, if you just want to talk about the basics, then I can easily tell you that. The Phoenix is a mythical creature from legends of old. Supposedly, it is an immortal fire bird that is said to have the power to give life to those that have died. At least, that's how legends of old described it." Sunset explained. Phaze simply nodded as she started to recall the information herself.

"I remember that information now. My grandmother used to tell me about old stories like that." Phaze said. Sunset simply nodded in response as she got ready for the next question. "But if you don't mind me asking, what does this have to do with the feeling you mentioned earlier?" Phaze asked.

"It's a long story, but it was like I was being burned alive and given life at the same time." Sunset explained, hoping that would stave off Phaze's curiosity. Phaze then looked behind her to see if anyone was there before saying anything else.

"I have a question of my own to ask now." Phaze said.

"Go ahead and ask." Sunset said, letting her ask the question to end the conversation.

"Are you a Touched?" Phaze asked. Sunset let the question process for a moment before being a bit confused.

"What's a Touched?" Sunset responded in a confused tone.

"A Touched is a human or a Faunus who has been granted the power of a Grimm." Phaze explained.

"Really?" Sunset said out of genuine surprise.

"Do you want to know more?" Phaze asked.

"No, it's fine. But to answer your earlier question, it's a private matter." Sunset said despite wanting to learn about the Touched.

"Ok, well, I'll see you later then." Phaze said as she walked past Sunset.

"Wait a second, have you seen Tempest at all today?" Sunset inquired. Phaze stopped for a moment as she thought about that question.

"Only after I woke up, but I did run into Palom and Porom earlier and they said that Tempest had gone off on her bike." Phaze told Sunset.

"Ok, I wanted to know that because I needed to speak with her about something." Sunset lied.

"Oh, should I let her know?" Phaze said as she pulled out her Scroll.

"It's fine, I can go look for her myself." Sunset said before waving goodbye to Phaze and walking down the hall as normal. Phaze simply waved goodbye and smiled as Sunset walked away. As soon as Sunset turned the corner, Phaze let out a sight as she put her back to the wall and slid onto the floor.

"Wow, I didn't think I would be able to do it, but I was able to get the information necessary." Phaze said to herself as she breathed heavily. A glow from the right arm caught her attention and she turned to see some of the markings on her right arm glow a faint blue. "She definitely has one of them in her, but there is something else about her that is different from other Touched. It almost feels as if it doesn't belong here." Phaze said as she begun to think about things.

Phaze then shook her head and got up off the floor. " _Best not to dwell on that, I have enough data to finish my project now."_ Phaze thought as she walked back to her room.

[hl]

After walking to the front of Beacon, she saw Cinder waiting there already. Sunset also noticed that she seemed on edge about something. As Sunset got closer, Cinder turned around to see who it was. "Oh, it's just you Sunset." Cinder said as she breathed.

"Nice to see you too. You seem a bit on edge." Sunset said, a bit worried for Cinder.

"A little worried, just nervous to talk with this Tempest girl." Cinder told Sunset.

"Well, you're going to have to wait a little longer." Sunset commented.

"Why's that?" Cinder asked curiously. Sunset simply took out her Scroll and showed the message to Cinder. After a few moments of silence, Cinder spoke up. "That certainly was last minute of her. I wonder why she needed to change the location?" Cinder said.

"I don't know, but there is something going on here and I don't like it." Sunset told Cinder. Cinder stayed quiet for a moment as she thought of several possibilities that could cause the change in location.

"What if she has a condition similar to yours?" Cinder asked. Sunset then looked at Cinder with a confused look before Cinder pointing to her gauntlet.

"You think she's like me?" Sunset asked as she held her upper arm.

"That's what makes the most sense to me, especially considering that she's at Emerald Central Command." Cinder told Sunset.

"So it is where I thought it was. How would she know about that place though?" Sunset said as she walked forward to the entrance, Cinder following close behind.

"I don't know, but it would be best to ask her ourselves." Cinder told Sunset. Just as they left the front gate, a bike drove up in front of them fairly quickly.

"Why do people have to drive so fast?" Sunset said with her eyes closed, fixing her hair a bit. Cinder stayed quiet for a moment as she looked the direction the bike went towards.

"That bike had no driver." Cinder told Sunset Sunset then turned to Cinder to tell her that there was no way that could be true and saw a very familiar looking bike backing up towards them.

"I know that bike." Sunset said as she ran forward. When she got up to it, the bike stopped and a screen came from the side of it. "This is Tempest's bike. What is it doing here and how did it get here?" Sunset said as she looked over the bike. As she did, Cinder walked up next Sunset and was looking at the bike as well.

" _This bike feels familiar to me, but why?_ " Cinder thought to herself. Almost as if responding to her question, a voice came from the bike's speaker.

"A pleasure to see you two again, Miss Sunset and Miss Cinder." the voice greeted. Cinder and Sunset the quickly looked at each other as they recognized the voice.

"Zephyr!?" the two exclaimed.

"The one and only at your service. However, I don't plan on dwelling on introductions." Zephyr told the two.

"Did something happen to Joker?" Cinder asked quickly.

"Yes, something has happened to both Tempest and Joker." Zephyr told the two.

"Hold on Zephyr, you're part of Tempest's bike right? Then why are you telling us about Joker?" Sunset asked.

"Let's just say that it would be easier for you to hear it from her mouth." Zephyr said. Sunset decided to leave it at that as a compartment on the side of the bike opened up and revealed two helmets. "Enough talk, we should get going." Zephyr said as Sunset grabbed the helmets and the compartment closed.

"Where are we going?" Sunset asked as she handed Cinder a helmet and got on the bike.

"The western of town, it's the closest place to Emerald Central Command." Zephyr told Sunset. Cinder put on the helmet and got on the bike as well, before Sunset nodded and they took off towards their destination.

* * *

After riding for about 10 minutes, Sunset and Cinder arrived at their destination at the edge of the Emerald Forest. "So, this is the place?" Sunset asked Zephyr as she took off her helmet.

"Yep, just keep walking straight and you'll end up at Emerald Command." Zephyr said.

"Isn't it Emerald Central Command?" Cinder asked.

"It is, but you know how Joker gets when naming things and that's how Tempest says them as well." Zephyr said before moving to a safe position out of view from the road. A thought entered Sunset's mind for a moment as she thought about that, then stopped as she dismissed the idea and walked forward with Cinder close behind her.

"It's been a while since I've seen Joker now that I think about it." Cinder commented.

"You've always mentioned her to being one of your closest allies, but I've never meet her myself. Mind telling me a bit about her?" Sunset said. Cinder thought about that for a moment and decided to tell her some of the history they've had together.

"Very well then, but I'm only giving the short version because there is a lot that had happened." Cinder said. Sunset went silent as she let Cinder proceed with her story.

"Joker, also known as Ace, was an interesting soldier from the rest of the White Fang. She joined about the same time I became one of the High Council, which was roughly five years ago. Joker was a interesting because she was a Pegasus Faunus, a very rare Faunus that is known for their flying capabilities and fast reflexes. I was the leader of her first operation and I was more that impressed with the abilities she wielded."

"I was so impressed that I ended up keeping a close eye on her for the next few months. During my observations, I saw that she was a one of the more unique members of the White Fang. Her skill was unparalleled at the time, with her being able to lead some of our best into battle during the Fang Massacre. We lost some of our best soldiers and many friends that day, but when Joker was put in charge, we were able to push back in a very unexpected way. Some even speculate that she could be the same Pegasus Faunus that lead the Fang Uprising, the event that got the White Fang started. Her skill eventually got her into the High Council and she has been doing her own thing ever since."

After Cinder went silent, Sunset let the information sit in her head for a moment. "What was she like?" Sunset asked.

"Well, it's not that easy to pin down what her personality is, because it's just something you have to experience." Cinder told Sunset. Sunset was about to say something, but just sighed and let it be. "We should be getting there soon. Emerald Central Command is where the Fang Rising took place." Cinder told Sunset. Sunset simply nodded before a thought popped into her head that caused her to stop in her tracks.

"Do you think Tempest chose this place because she knew about the Fang Rising?" Sunset asked Cinder. That question cause Cinder to stop for a moment and consider the possibility.

"It never occurred to me that it was a possibility. We made sure to take care of everyone there, but I never thought about anyone surviving." Cinder said as she thought about things.

"How long has the White Fang been around?" Sunset questioned.

"I would say around 50 years, though what we know is only what we've heard of through songs and stories." Cinder told Sunset.

"Then it's possible that Tempest is the family member of a survivor." Sunset proposed. Cinder simply nodded in response to that question.

"Anyway, we should get going. I'm interested to see what Tempest knows." Cinder said, a smile forming on her lips. Sunset simply responded by walking forward with Cinder following right behind her.

* * *

After a few minutes of walking, the two ended up in front of the ruins of Emerald Central Command. The place was very big, having an outer wall for defense, a big main building in the center of the facility, and several towers on the side made for lookouts and other things. Being the place of the Fang Uprising, the outer wall was destroyed in some places, the towers were half destroyed with some of the walls having holes, and the center facility was in a complete state of disarray.

"So, this is the place?" Sunset asked as she looked at her Scroll.

"Yep, I never thought I would get to see it for myself." Cinder said as she closed her eyes. Sunset stayed quiet as they approached the compound. As they got cup to a hole in the wall, Sunset noticed some activity a bit away from them. Concentrating on the figures in the distance, she could make them out to be Grimm.

"Cinder, are those Grimm?" Sunset asked as she pointed in the direction of them. Cinder looked in that direction and noticed them approaching. Cinder said nothing as the two of them reached for their weapons. As the Grimm got closer however, Sunset saw that they were white instead of black.

"Calmed Grimm, a rare sight indeed." Cinder commented calmly.

"Calmed Grimm?" Sunset asked having never heard of them before.

"Calmed Grimm are special in that they are a peaceful type of Grimm. They have no desire for conflict at all." Cinder explained.

"It's a bit weird hearing that from someone who is part of a violent group." Sunset told Cinder. Cinder simply responded by lightly punching Sunset on the shoulder before walking forward.

"Come on, I felt something coming from that tower." Cinder said as she walked towards the southern ruined structure. Sunset followed and kept an eye out for anyone that might be in the area. As the two got closer to the tower, the two heard something falling right above them and jumped back so they wouldn't get hit. They then head the flapping of wings and a female Pegasus Faunus landed in front of them with her head looking at the ground.

The girl had snow white hair, white eyes, and looked very physically fit. She wore a dark blue jacket, a dark gray shirt with a white ace of spade, white fingerless gloves, blue jeans, and white sneakers. Sunset got a little nervous when she felt a very familiar power coming from the girl. The girl then looked up and stared directly at Sunset.

"Who are you?" Sunset asked with a hand nearing her weapon. The girl was about to answer when Cinder walked walk next to Sunset and put a hand on her shoulder.

"Calm down Sunset, she's a friend." Cinder said. Sunset took her hand away from her weapon, but still looked a little tense. The girl then smiled and shook her head.

"So, you're the friend that Sunset wanted to bring?" the girl questioned with a smile.

"Well, I was wondering where that Tempest girl got her information from." Cinder said as she walked up to Ace. The two stood there for a moment before they hugged each other.

"It's been too long Cinder." the girl told her old friend.

"I could say the same to you Ace." Cinder responded. Sunset then sighed as she wondered something. Ace noticed this and walked up to Sunset after their hug was finished.

"You must be Sunset, Tempest has told me a lot about you." Ace said with a smile.

"Nice to meet you, Ace." Sunset said. Ace then extended a hand, which Sunset shook. As she did, Sunset felt calmer for some reason.

"Now you see why a lot of people like Ace. We don't know what causes it, but she emanates an aura of calmness." Cinder chimed in as they finished their handshake.

"It's true, even I'm not sure what causes it." Ace said for a moment. When Ace said that, a thought popped up in Sunset's mind.

"Hey, if you don't mind me asking, where is Tempest?" Sunset asked cautiously. Ace went quiet for a moment as she thought about what to say.

"That's a bit complicated to explain, but I take it that you saw those Calmed Grimm earlier?" Ace questioned.

"Yes we did." Cinder said.

"Well, Tempest was actually the one who did The Calming on those Grimm." Ace explained.

"Calming?" Sunset asked.

"It's a process in which a regular wild Grimm can be converted to Calmed Grimm. It does take a lot out of a person however, so I imagine that Tempest is resting at the moment." Cinder clarified.

"Wait, so can any Grimm become a Calmed Grimm?" Sunset questioned.

"Not exactly, the Grimm that can be turned need to have a hint of white fur on them or have blue eyes. Even then, you need a special type of Dust to fully Calm them." Ace told Sunset as she walked up to one of the containers.

"Why do you need to use the dust?" Sunset asked. Ace stayed quiet for a moment as she thought about that.

"To be honest, I'm not sure myself. Tempest thinks that it might be some form of ancient magic, but I don't know myself." Ace said.

"That actually brings up a good question. How do you and Tempest know each other?" Cinder inquired. Ace said nothing as she thought about how to answer that, her back still to Sunset and Cinder. As Ace was thinking, Sunset noticed that Tempest's Frost Edges were on her back.

" _Why does she have Tempest's weapon with her?_ " Sunset thought as Ace turned around.

"Well, I guess I should start from the beginning for that one. Before that though, I suggest we get somewhere more comfortable." Ace said as she brought out an ornate whistle. The whistle was made of white wood and had holes in it to let out sound.

"What is that?" Cinder asked. In response, Ace blew on the whistle and let a harmonious sound ring out. After a few seconds of silence, the flapping of very big wings could be heard in the distance. Sunset then got very tense as she assumed a big Grimm was coming and thought about something.

"What did you call?" Sunset questioned as she got ready for anything.

"Don't worry, I just called a friend." Ace said as one of her eyes glowed blue for a moment. After a few seconds a Nevermore Grimm landed in the field in front of the ruined command center. After the dust cleared from the landing, Cinder and Sunset noticed that it was a calmed Grimm.

"Like I said, don't worry." Ace said before she walked forward. As soon as she walked up, they heard the calmed Grimm speak in a series of growls and grunts with Ace doing the same. Cinder and Sunset stayed behind a wall, out f sight for the both of them.

"I didn't think that Ace knew how to speak the Grimm's language." Cinder said as she watched the exchange. Sunset simply nodded as she remember what Cinder was talking about

"If I recall correctly, you told me about the Grimm language when I caught you talking to a Grimm a few months after I became your student." Sunset commented.

"You're right, that is when I first told you about it." Cinder said with a sigh.

"I can kind of understand what they're saying, but I know you can understand everything. What exactly are they saying?" Sunset said. Cinder went quiet for a moment as she listened to what they were talking about.

"From what I can hear, it sounds like the two of them are old friends and Ace wants to take us to her home." Cinder told Sunset, summarizing the best she could. Sunset was about to say something else, but saw Ace walk back towards them.

"Ok, come on. We're going somewhere very private." Ace told the two of them.

"Well, what about Tempest? Are we just going to leave her here?" Sunset asked. Ace simply sighed and stayed silent for a moment before answering.

"It's complicated, but Tempest is coming with us. However, I would like her to be the one to explain that." Ace said as she turned around. Sunset was about to ask what she meant by that, but she could swear that when Ace turned around, she saw Tempest right next to Ace. Sunset shook her head when she saw that and just walked forward. When he two of them got up to the Calmed Nevermore, they noticed that it was about half the size of a regular Nevermore.

"Wow, so this is what a calmed Grimm Nevermore looks like." Cinder said as she looked at the body of it.

"Quick introduction for you two, this is my friend Mia." Ace introduced. When Ace introduced her, Mia took a wing and made a slight bow to the two of them.

"A pleasure to meet you two." Mia said politely. Sunset and Cinder were both surprised that Mia spoke to them in their own language.

"Surprised that she speaks our language? I wouldn't be surprised considering not many Calmed Grimm know our language." Ace commented.

"Ace here taught me how to speak like you do as a 'just in case' as she like to call it." Mia told the two.

"Well, I certainly will say that it's surprising." Cinder said. Sunset simply nodded in response as she just noticed the collar around Mia's neck.

"What's the collar for?" Sunset asked.

"Oh, this is for you two to come with us." Ace said as she walked up to Sunset. As the two stood there, Sunset saw Ace was wearing Tempest's brace. Before she could comment on it, she felt Ace wrap her arms around her waist.

"What are you doing?" Sunset asked. In response, Ace took to the air with Sunset in her grasp.

"Wow, you're kind of heavy." Ace said as she struggled a little bit. Sunset tried her best not to move a lot as Ace lifted her in the air above Mia. On the other side of the collar, the side that was on the back of Mia's neck, Sunset saw a small capsule that had two seats in it and a clear plastic window. Ace flew down to the capsule and hovered a few feet next to the capsule. "Can you reach it from here?" Ace asked. Sunset responded by reaching her arm out and barely grabbed one of the seats.

"I can reach it." Sunset said as she reached her other arm out. Once Sunset had both arms grabbing the seat, Ace brought Sunset closer before she let go. Sunset acted quickly and dragged herself into the seat.

"Never do that again." Sunset said, still shaking from the feeling of being up in the air.

"Yeah, I should have stopped her sooner, but I wanted to see your reaction." Cinder said as she climbed into the pod and got into the empty seat.

"You know I will find a way to get back at you." Sunset said, making a mental note of this. Cinder simply rolled her eyes at the comment and strapped herself into the seat. As Sunset did the same, Ace flew in front of them.

"Just thought I should let you two know that I'm going to be closing the window so you two don't have to deal with the wind." Ace said as she reached up and closed the window. Ace then flew in front of Mia and gave a thumbs up, signaling that they were ready to go. Mia then spread her wings and took to the sky with Tempest following close behind.

"Wherever we are going, I have the feeling that this just the start of something bigger. After all, if I felt _her_ power again after two years of nothing, then something is going on." Sunset thought as they left the base. Unknown to all of them, there was someone on top of Emerald Central Command watching the four of them leave.

"What do you think? Should I follow them?" the person asked, talking into a communicator.

"Negative Eta, leave them for now. We'll introduce ourselves when the time comes." a voice said on the other end. The person known as Eta simply nodded before putting away the binoculars and teleporting away.


	13. Interlude

Interlude: An Old Memory & A Promise of Power

 _The night before…_

Sunset was running through the forest, faster than she ever ran before. " _What are these things?_ " Sunset thought to herself as she ran from something. Behind her, she heard the sound of the creature she saw earlier chasing her.

Sunset looked over her shoulder quickly as she kept running. Unfortunately, this brief moment made her not see the hill in front of her. When she ran over the hill, the change in terrain made her trip and roll down the hill. When she got to the bottom, quickly she got up and kept running without looking back. After about a minute of more running, she heard no one approaching her anymore. " _Did I escape it?_ " Sunset thought to herself.

As soon as she thought that, she felt a set of claws rip through her back. Sunset then screamed out in pain as she fell to one knee. She then turned around as saw a pack of Beowulf Grimm standing in front of her. " _So, this is where it all ends huh?_ " Sunset thought as the Grimm approached. Just as they were about to reach her, the area burst into flames as Sunset blacked out.

* * *

Sunset's eyes burst open in shock as she sat up in bed. She was covered in sweat and panted heavily. When she looked around and saw that she was in the room, she fell back in bed with a groan. "That's the 4th time this month I've had that dream, yet it's always at that point where it cuts off." Sunset said to herself quietly. She sighed and put a hand on her back, only to feel some blood coming from it.

Sunset quickly but quietly then got out of bed and walked over to the walk in closet that their dorm had, grabbing some of the bandages she kept on her at all times. Once inside, she closed the door behind her and walked up to the mirror wall that was at the far end. Sunset then took off the nightshirt she was wearing and turned around. On her back was a set of three claw marks that seemed to be a few years old and bleeding lightly. " _Why does this always happen? These past few months, this old wound has started to act up again._ " Sunset thought to herself as she concentrated.

Although she hasn't used magic in a while, she is able to conjure up a telekinesis spell and use the bandages to cover up the scars. After finishing up the bandaging, Sunset grabbed a new night shirt and put the one she had on before in her hamper. She then looked over herself before giving herself a nod and heading to the door. When she did, she saw that the door was slightly ajar. This immediately set off warning bells in her head as she tensed up. "Hello?" Sunset called out quietly.

When she did, no one came from the door and something gleamed at the foot of the door. Sunset approached and she noticed that it was an Eyecon that she had never seen before. She reached down to pick it up and looked over it. The Eyecon was different from the others in the center portion was a picture of two wings folded instead of what was normally there. The area around the center portion was all red with two horns on top. On the top of the Eyecon, there was a symbol of fire with the word "Ho-oh" above the picture and the Letters "EGF" beneath it. As she was examining it, a bright light engulfed her and transported her into the Eyecon.

* * *

When Sunset felt her senses come back, she quickly looked around the area. Upon doing so, she immediately saw that she was in a shrine of sorts. The shrine had wall with the depiction of fire engulfing a forest with several Grimm being burned alive. "What is this place?" Sunset asked as she looked around the room.

"Well, this is my domain." A voice said. Sunset immediately wheeled around to where the voice was coming from and saw a man standing there in robes adorned with fire markings and a headpiece similar to a phoenix head.

"Who are you?" Sunset asked as she was ready to fight.

"Come now, you examined the Eyecon, you should know my name." the man said calmly. Sunset thought back to the Eyecon and remembered the name on top of it.

"So, you're name is Ho-oh?" Sunset asked.

"It is one of many names I go by, but it's the one you will know as." Ho-oh told Sunset.

"What do you want?" Sunset asked as she untensed.

"Not much, I'm just here to offer you power." Ho-oh said before conjuring fire in his left hand. Sunset simply sighed as she shook her head.

"If you're going to try to trick me, then you sure have a weird way of doing it." Sunset said. Ho-oh simply laughed at the sentence. "What's so funny?" Sunset questioned.

"Oh, I can see why you would think that. A being comes out of nowhere and give you an offer of power. Of course you would be suspicious about me. However, that's why you're my vessel." Ho-oh said in a gleeful tone.

" _Vessel?_ " Sunset thought to herself.

"As much as I would like to keep talking, I can only maintain this form for so long. That being said, onto the matter of power I told you about." Ho-oh told Sunset.

"Look, as much as I would like to get more power…" Sunset started.

"I should reiterate that I mean I want to show you the power you will achieve." Ho-oh interrupted. Sunset then blinked as she stopped talking and thought about the idea.

"I'm fine with that." Sunset said as she sighed.

"Ok then, I want you to close your eyes for a moment. When you open them, you will see what I wanted to show you." Ho-oh said. Sunset simply did as she was told, and when she opened her eyes, she saw something she was not expecting. In front of her was a set of blazing red armor that looked familiar to her. The armor looked like something knights would wear in stories she had read with a few notable differences. The center of the chest piece had a symbol of a flame, similar to the disk that Tempest got a few weeks ago. The headpiece was more of something like Jennifer's helmet instead of a normal knight's helmet with a pair of wings protruding from the sides.

"Amazing." Sunset said to herself. The armor then extended its hand out as if reaching to Sunset, She tentatively then reached out a hand before another alight engulfed her.

* * *

When this light faded, Sunset found herself back in the closet with the Ho-oh Eyecon in her hand. Sunset simply looked down at the thing before hearing some footsteps approaching the door. She quickly hid the Eyecon in one of her pockets and opened the door. "Oh, it's just you Sunset." Tempest said quietly as she saw her friend.

"Yeah, you thought it was someone else?" Sunset asked noncelauntly.

"No, I was just surprised to see you up. What are you even doing awake?" Tempest responded. Sunset stayed silent for a moment as she thought about how to answer that.

"Well, let's just say that I need to change my nightshirt because of personal reasons." Sunset said.

"Really? I won't pry that much but I expected something bigger." Tempest said.

"I could probably ask the same question." Sunset told Sunset.

"Being completely honest, I just woke up because a dream jolted me up." Tempest said.

"Fair enough." Sunset said as a yawn escaped her lips.

"We should probably get some sleep, we have some things to do tomorrow." Tempest said. Sunset simply nodded before the two of them headed off to sleep.


	14. Chapter 11

**Chapter 13: A Meeting of Equals (Part 2)**

After about 10 minutes of flying, Sunset and Cinder saw a mountain in the distance. "Wow, I didn't think we would be heading to Mount Emerald." Cinder commented as she noticed the mountain.

"Mount Emerald is in the center of the Emerald Forest right?" Sunset asked.

"That's right, I didn't think that there would be any Grimm living on it though." Cinder said as they approached a big, seemingly man made platform that lead into a cave. Mia took a few quick flaps of her wings and landed near the edge of the platform.

"Welp, this is the place." Mia told the two as Ace came and opened up the pod. As Ace did that, Sunset noticed a few bits of ice on her face and wings.

"Did you go above the clouds?" Sunset asked as she got out.

"Maybe a little bit." Ace said as she shivered a bit. Sunset then hopped out of the capsule and landed on the platform with Cinder doing the same. Ace then landed in front of the two as Mia walked forward into the cave.

"Is this where you live?" Sunset asked out of curiosity.

"No, this is actually where Mia lives." Ace told Sunset. The cave was actually fairly big with a set of beds on the far wall on the left. There was also a TV on the right with furniture in front of it, a carpet in the center, and a makeshift kitchen on the left.

"This seems a little small of a cave for a Grimm." Cinder commented. At that moment, a bright light came from behind the three.

"Well, there is a reason for that." Mia said, her voice sounding more human like. Sunset and Cinder turned around to see not a Nevermore, but a raven Faunus standing where Mia was. The faunus was wearing a black shirt, white shorts, and black sneakers. On her back was a pair of white wings and all around her body was blue markings.

"Mia, is that you?" Sunset asked out of surprise.

"That it is and I can see that some explanations are in order." Mia said with a smile.

"We should get inside before we do that." Ace chimed in. No one argued that statement as everyone entered the cave. When they entered the cave, Ace immediately walked over to the TV area and sat down in one of the chairs. "Come on, we can sit here for right now." Ace said as she motioned at Sunset and Cinder.

"You better have some of the best stories to tell us if you decided to show up now after being gone for the past year." Cinder said as she sat down.

"I do have something to talk about, but I don't think that I've properly introduced myself to someone of the Council." Ace said with a slight smile. Sunset sighed after Ace said that.

"Do I really have to do this?" Sunset sighed.

"We don't have too, but I kind of want to hear what your title is." Ace said.

"As long as that is what you want, I'm all for it." Sunset said.

"If you don't mind me asking, what titles are you referring to?" Mia asked as she brought some drinks over.

"Everyone part of the White Fang Council has a title and an alias granted to them that they can go by." Ace said.

"To give an example, my alias is Fall and my title is the 'Fall's Flame'." Cinder explained.

"I'm going to guess that they relate to what you do in the White Fang." Mia said.

"Exactly, and I believe I've told you this before, but to be on the safe side, remember to keep quiet about this." Ace told Mia. Mia responded by nodding in agreement to what Ace said.

"Why would you tell her to be quiet?" Sunset asked curiously.

"Well, there are times when I go out to Vale just to get away from home. It gets boring out here a lot of the time." Mia said. Sunset simply nodded as she understood where Mia was coming from.

"Anyway, I suppose to introduce myself to you Ace. My name is Flare and I am known in the council as 'The Blazing General'." Sunset said.

"'The Blazing General', I like it." Ace said.

"Now what about you?" Sunset said.

"Nice of you to ask, my name is Joker and I'm known as 'The Wild Wind'." Ace responded.

"I'm guessing your style of command is a bit different that what I'm used to." Sunset commented.

"It sure is a unique one, I'll tell you that. There's a reason why my alias and title are what they are after all." Ace said with a proud smirk. Sunset simply smiled as she knew what she was talking about.

"So, I believe that you have a story to tell." Cinder said.

"That I do and I would say that it's a bit of a story that you have heard before Cinder." Ace said. Cinder thought about that statement before sighing.

"Are you really going to talk about the Freelancers again?" Cinder asked in a somewhat annoyed voice. Upon hearing the word Freelancers, Sunset's ears perked up.

"Well, I don't think Sunset wants to hear me ramble on about them. Instead, I have some new things to talk about." Ace said as she brought out her scroll.

"And what is this new information if I may ask?" Cinder asked in a not so energetic voice.

"How about one of the documents that was made for the formation of Project Freelancer?" Ace responded. Cinder tossed that over in her head before noticing Sunset's expression.

"Does she always get like this?" Sunset questioned as she noticed some stars in Ace's eyes.

"Project Freelancer is something like a pastime to her, she is always looking for any information on the thing." Cinder told Sunset.

"By the way Sunset, thanks for getting these encrypted files for me." Ace casually commented. Cinder then looked at Sunset with a deadpan stare.

"Wait, what files are you talking about?" Sunset inquired.

"The one that you and your friends got for your initiation mission." Ace said. Sunset then realized what Ace was talking about and immediately started to think of possibilities on how she would know about those files. "Before you ask anymore, all will be explained after I show you this." Ace told the two. Sunset simply sighed as she let Ace go on. "Very well then, this is one of the video files from the formation of the Project Freelancer." Ace said as she connected her Scroll to the TV and the video started to play.

* * *

 _On the TV screen, it showed a person in shadows sitting in front of a desk. "Hello there my Freelancers, I am the founder of this Project and I am the one who will be giving you report to. Though I will not give you my name, you may simply refer to me as King. Before we get you all started on your first mission, I want to go over something."_

 _After King said that, a list of symbols replace the image of him. "These are the symbols that your code names have been based off of. You each have been assigned a code name as well as a symbol that is on your armor. You should all do well to remember these as I will expect you to know these for communication purposes. As for what you address each other as, I will not enforce you all to use your code names on missions but it's advised that you do to keep your names a secret."_

 _After saying that, the list disappeared. "Now then, I just have a few more things to say before you start your mission. First is that there are other soldiers here other than you 24. They are here simply to see if we can add more members to your group and for smaller scale missions. Second, this place is your home and you are more than welcome to relax here between assignments. Lastly, we ask that you keep this a secret from those who ask. That is all I have to say for now, good luck Freelancers." Upon finishing that sentence, the screen went dark and the video ended._

* * *

After the video finished, Ace got up and got her scroll from its place on the TV. "So, that is what you wanted to show us?" Cinder asked.

"Yep, ever since I left, I've been trying to find leads on Project Freelancer. It was only up until recently that I found this file." Ace explained.

"Out of curiosity, where did you find the file?" Mia questioned.

"Well, I think Sunset might know the answer to that." Ace said with a smug grin on her face. Sunset simply nodded in response to that question.

"She is right, I do know where the file came from." Sunset said as she stood up. As she did, Sunset reached behind her back and put a hand on her one of her blades. "Before that however, why do you have Tempest's weapon with you?" Sunset questioned in a hostile tone.

"Sunset, calm down. While I don't know what your relationship is with Tempest, but you should really be careful when provoking Ace." Cinder said as she stayed seated.

"She is right, but to answer your question Sunset, I think it would be best if I showed you." Ace said as Mia went to go somewhere.

"What do you mean by that?" Sunset asked as Ace stood up.

"Believe it or not, Tempest and I have a very close relationship." Ace said as she walked towards the middle of the room.

"Then why do you have her weapons?" Sunset asked. Before Ace could respond, Mia walked up between the two of them and gave Ace a signal.

"Ah good, you had it prepared ahead of time?" Ace asked Mia.

"Yeah, I had a feeling you might want to tell people about it sometime soon." Mia said as she walked over to the far wall from the entrance. Before Sunset could say anything, Cinder got up and put a hand on her shoulder.

"Hey, I know you want to know about your friend, but let's let Ace explain herself." Cinder told Sunset. Sunset hesitated for a moment before sighing and putting her hand down.

"Fine, but if I find out that you did something to her, you'll be in trouble." Sunset said.

"Fair enough, now follow me." Ace said as she walked over to where Mia was. As they walked over, Mia pressed on a portion of the wall and it opened revealing a secret passage. The passage was a hallway that continued further into the mountain. Sunset and Cinder were surprised, but just decided to roll with it.

"I take it you all have seen your share of secret passageways?" Mia asked. The three of them nodded yes before heading down the hallway. Mia entered last and closed the passage behind her.

* * *

The four continued to walk down the dark hallway, the only light source being a flashlight that Mia gave to Ace. "So, what is exactly at the end of this hallway?" Sunset asked Ace.

"To be honest, I don't know how to describe it. It's honestly better if you see it for yourself." Ace responded. Sunset was about to ask again until a light came into view. "Come on, it's at the end of the hall." Ace said as she walked forward. The others followed her to the end of the hall and entered the room after a few seconds of walking. The room that they entered was a room that seemed both natural and manmade at the same time. The room had natural windows that let sunlight in and was made of rocks and natural gems of various different colors making up various parts of the floor, walls, and ceiling. It also had a big computer that took up the far wall, an small room completely made up of white, reflective gems, several tables, chairs, and couches all around the room, and various amounts of TV and other electronics.

"Ok, I can see why you couldn't describe it. This place is beautiful." Cinder said as she looked around.

"Yeah, apparently Mia knows what this place is. However, she refuses to tell me about it because of her own reasons." Ace commented.

"Hey, as much as I like you, you're not ready for this one yet." Mia said as walked forward and sat down in one of the chairs.

"Ok, so how does all of this relate to Tempest?" Sunset asked in a threatening tone. Ace stayed quiet for a moment as she thought about what to say.

"I am you and you are me. Does that sound familiar to you Cinder?" Ace said as she walked up to the small room.

"That is a phrase that you told yourself a lot if I recall correctly." Cinder said.

"That's right, do you remember why I used to say that?" Ace asked as she turned around to face the two.

"Just get to the point already." Sunset said. Ace simply smiled as she pulled out a small disk that had a symbol of a yin-yang on it colored cyan and white.

"I recognise that disk, you've had it with you ever since you joined the White Fang. What does that thing do anyway?" Cinder said.

"Just watch." Ace said as she put the disk on her brace. When she did, a voice announced " **Gemini Disk Set! Ready to go?** "as two lights on the brace lit up, one cyan and one white. Ace then walked into the clear room and pointed the brace at the ground. When she did, a light enveloped her and transformed her into a ball of light.

"What the heck?" Sunset said as she saw the spectacle in front of her. As Sunset said that, the ball of light split in half and started to separate in two directions. The left half started to turn white while the right turned cyan. After a few seconds the halfs dissipated and both Ace and Tempest were standing in the room. The two looked at each other for a moment before smiling and walking out of the room.

"Ah, I think I understand now." Cinder said as she saw the two of them walk out of the room.

"I'm just going to take a wild guess here and say multiple personalities." Sunset said, a bit dumbfounded.

"A little bit, but it'll have to wait for a moment." Tempest said as she walked in front of Sunset. Sunset was quiet for a moment as Tempest just stood in front of her. "Just do it, I know you want to." Tempest told Sunset as Ace stood behind her. Sunset stayed silent for a moment before looking at Tempest with a hard look. She then punched her as hard in the gut as she could, sending Tempest back a little.

"I feel better now." Sunset said, her sour tone from earlier completely gone.

"I kind of deserved that one." Tempest said as she breathed in some air.

"Yeah, so now I believe explanations are in order." Mia said from her seat. Everyone simply nodded as they walked to an area where they could talk.

* * *

After a few minutes of getting set up and waiting, Tempest brought tea for everyone to drink. "Thank you Tempest, I didn't know you could make tea." Cinder said in a kind, calm voice.

"You're welcome, I actually learned this while we were in the White Fang. I can tell you right now that Ace did not have a fun time learning that." Tempest said

"I will admit that it wasn't a pleasant experience, but I did end up liking the taste." Ace commented.

"So, you were going to explain things to us?" Sunset asked. Tempest and Ace looked for each other for a moment before Tempest spoke up.

"We will, but first let me say that I'm sorry for not telling you the whole truth about the meeting." Tempest told Sunset.

"Don't worry about it. I did get annoyed with Ace, but I can see why you wouldn't want to talk about it. Something like the fact that you have a split personality is not something that you want to talk about publicly." Sunset commented.

"Anyway, where did you want to start with the explanations?" Ace asked. Cinder and Sunset were silent for a moment as they thought about what to ask.

"How about how the time when you three first met each other?" Cinder responded.

"That would be a good place to start I suppose, but there is a problem there." Mia said.

"What would that problem be?" Sunset asked curiously.

"You see, while we me and Tempest remember when we first met Mia and each other, the in-between bits are kind of hazy." Ace said.

"These two apparently have very hazy memories up until they first met me. From what I can tell, it's more of the memories being somewhat repressed rather than amnesia." Mia explained.

"Well, what do you two recall about meeting each other in that case?" Sunset asked.

"From what we can remember, the two of us first met in a lab. I can't remember what we were there for, but I'm pretty sure it was important." Ace started before looking at Tempest.

"After that, we can only remember some things and events but nothing major until we met Mia." Tempest finished.

"I found them I would say about 5 years ago just after that new person took leadership of the White Fang. They were on the edge of the forest, both in really bad shape with Tempest having these black and red markings on her." Mia said. When Mia finished talking, Cinder and Sunset looked at each other for a moment which Ace noticed and held her hand up to signal quiet to Tempest and Mia.

"Do you think it's the same?" Sunset asked Cinder in a low voice.

"It's possible, but I doubt it." Cinder responded.

"Do you two know something about those markings?" Tempest questioned. Sunset was silent for a moment before sighing and putting her cup down.

"We do, but it's going to be a bit hard to explain." Sunset said as she stood up.

"In that case, should we continue with our explanation before we do anything else?" Ace suggested.

"I believe that would be for the best, because I'm still curious on how you two are able to separate." Cinder said.

"Well, that was a bit of a tricky thing to figure out for ourselves, but it's all thanks to this thing that we're able to do it in the first place." Ace said as she held up her brace.

"Yeah, I've been wondering about that myself. What exactly does that bracelet do for you two?" Sunset asked as she thought about something.

"It does various things, however for this explanation, all you know is that it recognises disks and has a different effect depending on the one slotted in." Tempest explained.

"So, the Gemini Disk you have in there separates the two of you into two bodies?" Cinder asked.

"Yes and no, it's a bit tricky to explain. Basically, what the Gemini Disk is supposed to do is simply make a copy of the person using it. However, this room made something interesting happen to the disk and to the both of us." Ace continued.

"Yeah, without this room, there is no guarantee that I would be the same person you see before you." Tempest admitted in a somewhat ominous tone as she shuddered.

"What do you mean by that?" Cinder inquired curiously. Tempest looked to Mia who simply nodded as she sighed.

"I think it would be easier to show you." Tempest said as she stood up. As she did, she earned a shocked look from Ace as she walked towards the room.

"Tempest, you're not actually thinking about doing that are you?" Ace asked in a tense tone.

"What are you talking about?" Sunset questioned. Tempest stopped walking for a moment before sighing ind turning around.

"Before saying anything else, I guess Mia should properly introduce herself if we are going to do this." Tempest said before looking at Mia. Mia simply nodded before turning the the now standing Sunset and Cinder.

"What she said is true, while I did give you an introduction before, it was not a proper introduction. The only reason I didn't make it is because I didn't it is because I wanted to see if you were trustworthy." Mia said as she bowed slightly. Sunset was slightly confused as to what Mia was referring to, but Cinder walked forward to confirm something.

"If I may ask, are you one of the Watchers?" Cinder inquired. Mia was surprised at Cinder's question, but smiled as if she was relieved.

"I admit, I am a little surprised that you know of us. That being said, my full name is Mia Hikari, one of the twelve Grimm Watchers of this world." Mia said with a bow.

"Sorry for seeming like I don't know anything, but what are the Grimm Watchers?" Sunset asked curiously.

"The Watchers are a group of 12 Grimm that watch over the world, waiting for something. What that something is exactly, only the Watchers know." Cinder said.

"And before you ask, she hasn't told me or Ace about what that something is at all." Tempest commented.

"Ok, so what does that have to do with Tempest and her condition?" Sunset questioned.

"Well, I think that it would be easier to show you." Tempest said as she walked into the clear room. As soon as she did, she reached up and brought down a very well hidden door to close the opening she entered in.

"Tempest, are you sure that you want to go through with this?" Ace asked in a concerned tone.

"Yeah, after all, I know that you can cover for me." Tempest told Ace. Ace was about to interject, but Mia put a hand on her shoulder to stop her.

"Don't worry too much, that room is very sturdy. Not only that, but I have done some things since you two last visited." Mia said. Ace simply sighed as Mia walked forward. "Tempest, are you ready?" Mia asked. Tempest nodded in response, which gave Mia the cue to close her eyes and hold her hands out. As she did so, a glowing red circle appeared in front of her hands as energy flowed out of it into a room, which Sunset instantly recognised.

"Magic?" Sunset said in a low voice. Ace shot Sunset a glance, but said nothing as she watched the scene in front of her. As the energy flowed into the room, Tempest keeled to the ground as a wave of pain flowed into her. Those outside the room saw this followed soon by several black markings crawling along Tempest's exposed skin. After a few seconds, Tempest let out a scream of pain that sounded more like a primal howl. As if responding to the howl, the energy around the room covered Tempest's body, completely enveloping it in a red light.

"You're sure she's going to be ok?" Cinder asked Ace and Mia as she felt the sheer power coming from the room.

"She said she has been working on suppressing the power, but I don't know if it's going to help." Ace said as energy stopped flowing from Mia's hands.

"It should be finished, now we just have to wait." Mia commented as she sighed.

"Wait for what to happen?" Sunset questioned cautiously. As if on cue, the energy faded away and Tempest stood up with her head pointed down. When Cinder and Sunset saw Tempest, they were shocked at what they saw. Where there had once been a fair skinned girl now stood a human like figure with gray skin and purple lines along parts of the skin, gray wings, and white bone like pieces of armor on key points of her body, like her chest, legs, arms and waist area. When she tilted her head to look at everyone, here eyes were a dark purple and some fangs were poking from her mouth.

"This is what she was talking about." Tempest said in a more distorted and strained voice, as if she was actively trying to keep something at bay. Sunset and Cinder looked on in shock as Ace and Mia were surprised at what they saw.

"Wow, you really have gotten a handle on this power. I've never see you like this before." Mia said, impressed by what she saw.

"Tempest, is that you?" Sunset asked through that shock.

"Yep, I imagine you're a bit surprised?" Tempest responded.

"More like very surprised. How do you keep a check on that thing?" Sunset questioned. Tempest was about to give an answer until Ace spoke for her.

"It's because of me, having two people in the same body does have its drawbacks, but that's not to say that it has its benefits as well." Ace told Sunset.

"Cinder, is this not freaking you out at all?" Sunset asked. As she looked over at Cinder, she saw that she was in front of one of the walls to the room talking to Tempest. "Of course she would be intrigued by all this." Sunset said as she held her head in her hands.

"She certainly is jumping at the opportunity. That being said, I don't think Tempest will be able to stay conscious that much longer. In this form, her strength is constantly being drained to keep herself together and sane. Although she is holding it back, it's taking a lot of her strength to keep it at bay." Ace mentioned.

"Makes sense, and I can imagine that since the two of you are seperate, whatever is inside her is draining her strength that much faster." Sunset commented.

"Speaking of, I wonder if she's ready to head back." Ace said as she walked forward. As Sunset was about to follow her, she felt a pulse come from her right arm. Sunset quickly looked down and saw that the gauntlet was glowing slightly.

" _That is something it's never done before. What does it mean and why is it doing it now?_ " Sunset thought to herself as she looked back up. When she did so, she noticed Mia channeling blue energy into the room and Tempest kneeling down on the floor. Sunset walked forward next to Cinder to watch the process and saw that her skin was changing back to normal.

"It's amazing, apparently she has something inside of her that she's holding back. From what I was able to gather, she said it was an ancient and powerful being." Cinder said quietly, looking directly at Sunset on that last bit. Sunset shook her head as she understood what Cinder was talking about as the energy faded from Tempest.

"Ok, so just to make sure, you're in complete control Tempest?" Mia questioned.

"Yeah, I'm fine." Tempest said as she breathed in and out.

"You ready to join back together?" Ace asked.

"Yeah, take control for the rest of the day. I need to rest." Tempest said as she reached for her brace and removed her Gemini Disk. When she did, her form changed to a cyan light and floated out of the room and back into Ace. Ace sighed as it happened and shook a little.

"I take it that it's a weird feeling?" Sunset asked curiously.

"Completely weird, never get used to it." Ace said as she shook the feeling off. As Sunset looked around quickly, she yawned as she saw the sun begin to set.

"Wow, we've been here a while haven't we?" Sunset said through her yawn.

"Yeah, we probably get back to Beacon." Cinder said as she started to walk towards the door. Mia and Ace nodded as the four of them walked back into the hallway.

* * *

After arriving back in the main room, Mia headed out to the main balcony and changed back into her Grimm form. "It's going to take a few minutes to get the harness set up, we'll go when it's set up." Ace said as she went to go set up the harness on Mia, leaving Sunset and Cinder alone.

"So, what do you think is inside Tempest?" Sunset asked Cinder.

"Honestly, I have very little clues to go on, but it's obviously some kind of dark force." Cinder said.

"Gee, I couldn't tell what gave you that idea." Sunset mumbled as she looked down. When she did, she noticed the rug they were standing on and a very familiar design to her on it. The design was clock like with circles being where the hours would normally be. The part that made the design feel familiar to Sunset was that fact that each of the circles was a different color and had a a symbol on each one. "Hey Mia, what does the design on this rug mean?" Sunset asked curiously. Mia, in her Grimm form, looked over and saw the rug.

"I don't know, it was here before I arrived." Mia said truthfully.

"Why do you ask Sunset?" Ace questioned curiously. Sunset was silent for a moment as she thought about why.

"It's just that the design on this is familiar to me, but I don't remember why?" Sunset said as she put a hand to her head. Cinder took a look at the rug for a moment and recalled something about the symbols.

"These symbols… don't they represent the Ancient Grimm?" Cinder asked. When Cinder said that, Mia looked up at Mia with a look of realization.

"You're right." Mia said as she recalled something.

"Well, the harness is ready. If you want to continue this conversation, the capsule is set up so Mia can hear you in the seat and respond. Don't ask how it works, we're still figuring it out." Ace said as she flew up and opened seat. Cinder and Sunset got in the seat and got strapped in. As they were getting ready to continue talking, Ace flew next the them and hovered there for a sec. "Mind if I hop in? I kind of want to hear this." Ace asked. Sunset and Cinder simply gave a thumbs up which Ace took as a cue to hop in, change into her human body and close the hatch. Mia took off shortly after hearing the hatch close.

"So, how much do you know about the Ancient Grimm?" Cinder asked Mia.

"Being completely honest, not much other than what all other Grimm know. The Ancient Grimm were a powerful group consisting of 12 Grimm that existed long before any of us have existed. I guess you could call them the first real hurdle that mankind had to overcome. They were also not like the Grimm you all know today in the sense that they we all very intelligent with their own personalities. Another big difference is that they each were in command with an element, similar to the Elemental Semblances we know of today. The Elements were fire, water, electricity, earth, wind, ice, light, shadow, space, time, and two others that focus more on the ferocity and elegance of all the others respectively.

With these powers, you would think mankind as we know it would be wiped out. However, like the old saying goes, there can never be dark without light. To combat the Ancient Grimm, there were the Guardians, 12 humans with powers similar to the Ancient Grimm. With their help, humanity rose up and defeated the Ancient Grimm. After they were defeated, the Guardians mysteriously vanished and left humanity to create their own future."

After Mia finished talking, the people in the pod were silent as they processed what they were told. "To think that's what happened all those years ago." Ace commented.

"How do you know for sure that is what happened?" Sunset asked.

"The story has been passed down through my home village for generations." Mia told Sunset.

"I second what she said, only because I have been researching the Ancient Grimm myself." Cinder commented.

"Look, I'm not one to talk about discrediting or things not being true, but I'm just saying that it might not be the full story." Sunset said. Mia was silent for a moment as she thought of that.

"That might be true, but it's all the information I know. What I'm more curious about is how you know that symbol Sunset." Mia told Sunset.

"I just said it looked familiar." Sunset said with a huff. There was silence among the group as Sunset thought about her words. "Although, I will admit that when I saw it, I got this strange feeling." Sunset said.

"What kind of feeling?" Ace questioned.

"The best way to describe it would be to compare it to an inferno. A blazing hot feeling that feels like it could break out at any moment." Sunset said as she put a hand on her chest. Mia was silent for a moment as she thought about what she just heard.

"You've mentioned this feeling to me a few times before. Any idea what it could mean?" Cinder said as she thought of a few things.

"No, but I'm honestly scared of it." Sunset said.

"That's good, now that you know about it, you can work on learning what it is and controlling it." Ace said with a smile.

"You might be right Ace." Sunset said as she was lost in thought.

"From what I can recall, I don't remember anything that might cause that." Mia told Sunset. Cinder quietly put her hand to her sign as she noted something in Mia's voice. Before she could comment, Mia started to descend. "We're almost there." Mia said.

"Ok, so what is going to happen with you Ace?" Sunset asked before a light flashed next to her. She noticed the light and turned to see Tempest sitting next to her.

"Before you ask, it's me Ace." Ace told Sunset. Sunset quickly processed the sight in front of her before responding.

"What?" Sunset asked, her brain struggling to understand what she just saw.

"Tempest and I can swap our appearances, which also gives us access to the other's physical abilities." Ace explained.

"Here I was thinking you were a master of disguise and infiltration." Cinder said with a sly smile.

"I mean, I definitely am a master of infiltration." Ace said with a smile as Mia landed.

"Ok, we're back at the base." Mia said as Sunset opened up the hatch. The people in the pod then hopped out and turned back to Mia.

"Thanks for the favor Mia, I'll be sure to pay you back." Ace told Mia.

"No need this time, this little visit gave me somethings to think about." Mia responded.

"Well, I must say that it was an honor to meet one of the Grimm Guardians." Cinder said as she gave a bow. Sunset did the same and as she did, Mia shot Ace a quick glance. Ace noticed the glance and nodded in response.

"Well I must be on my way, I have some things to take care of." Mia said as she flapped her wings, kicking up some wind beneath her as she took to the air. Cinder held down her dress as the wind picked up and all three waved good-bye as Mia left the area.

"She seemed nice." Sunset said as she turned to leave. When she was getting to the edge of the clearing, a jolt went through her as she quickly looked around the area.

"Is something wrong Sunset?" Cinder asked as she approached her.

"I don't know, I just get the feeling that someone is watching us." Sunset said as she was on alert. Cinder put a hand to her chin as she thought about that.

"Think it would be part of the White Fang from Haven?" Cinder said with a slight sneer. Sunet simply sighed as Cinder said that.

"I had a feeling that you would know, but how did you find out that it was me?" Sunset questioned.

"Of course I would find out about the theft and the fact that you disappeared right after got me suspicious. However, I'm more curious as to why you did it." Cinder said as she crossed her arms. Sunset sighed as she leaned against a nearby tree.

"You should know why if you remembered my behavior at the time." Sunset said simply. Cinder was about to respond when Ace walked up to them.

"Sorry about the wait, I was taking care of something." Ace told Sunset. Cinder looked at Sunset for a moment before turning to Ace.

"It's fine, we were just having a chat." Cinder lied. Ace quickly glanced at Sunset and nodded in understanding.

"Ok, so shall we get going then?" Ace asked. Sunset nodded and the three left the clearing. From a distance, Mia watch them leave the clearing an she hovered there.

" _I hope that this feeling that I have is wrong. If it isn't then we might have a ticking time bomb on our hands._ " Mia thought before she flew off. From a nearby cliff, a figure in a hood silently watched as the three walked off. They said nothing and stood there for a moment before opening a portal of light and darkness beneath him and falling into it, the portal closing soon after he left.


End file.
